


Splintered Heart

by FairySomber



Category: League of Legends RPF
Genre: Kid Clid lol, M/M, Post Mpreg, Post-Divorce, alternative universe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-29
Updated: 2020-02-15
Packaged: 2021-02-27 19:47:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 41,490
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22468885
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FairySomber/pseuds/FairySomber
Summary: Sanghyeok made a decision that hurt Wangho. Years later, he realizes how far he strayed from the path of happiness.
Relationships: Han "Peanut" Wang-ho/Lee "Faker" Sang-hyeok
Comments: 18
Kudos: 24





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The italics in this chapter are for events that happened in the past!

Wangho stared out the window, watching the rain fall on the streets of Busan. It was raining again today. It was already the 3rd time this week.

He watched the rain drops splatter onto the quiet streets. Even though Busan and Seoul were relatively far apart, the rain was one of the only things that remained constant. Unfortunately, it was also reminding him of his painful past.

_Wangho didn’t quite feel comfortable yet in the new to him house. The metallic tickling of the grandfather clock was subtle, but it felt like the sound echoed throughout the quiet feeling house. Wangho knew that he was alone, it wasn’t rare for him to be waiting until quite late in the night waiting for his husband to come home. It was 15 past 10 o’clock, and the dinner was cold._

_Sanghyeok stayed out late every night, and never bothered to tell Wangho where. Wangho no longer had the courage to ask him when all he would get was a glare that told him to not meddle in his business._

_Wangho looked at the calendar that hung on the kitchen wall. It has been 19 days, almost 3 weeks since he had gotten married. He let out a sigh, with a heavy heart. He liked his husband, and his in-laws loved him; but Sanghyeok didn’t care for him at all. No love, or hate, just indifference._

_As he was in deep thought sitting on the sofa, he heard the door click and he immediately stood up and walked to the foyer. Sanghyeok had finally come home. “Welcome home.” He said meekly, watching as the taller took off his shoes. Sanghyeok didn’t spare a glance, or acknowledge anything Wangho had said._

_“Are you hungry?” Wangho had developed the habit of asking right as Sanghyeok came home. “I made Japchae.”_

_Sanghyeok continued to ignore him._

_Wangho had quickly learned that Sanghyeok wouldn’t bother to speak to him if it wasn’t necessary. He quietly stood at the foyer until Sanghyeok walked right past him. He waited for the sound of his bedroom door closing before moving to the kitchen to clean up. It would be nice if Sanghyeok would let him know when he wouldn’t be coming home to eat dinner so that the food wouldn’t be wasted._

The fall was quickly approaching. It would make it 5 years since he had moved back to Busan, his hometown. His two older brothers, Jongin and Beomhyeon, had moved to Seoul to change their lives. It was supposed to be a good thing, to improve _all_ of their lives, but things didn’t really work out like that for him.

“Daddy?” a soft voice of his young toddler brought him back to reality, and he turned away from the window to face his son.

“What’s wrong Taemin?” The father of the toddler, now 28, bent down to pick up the child. He cuddled with the boy in his chest. “Did the rain wake you up?” He asked gently as he rubbed his back to help the child relax. The toddler let out a content sigh, and smiled sleepily.

“There was a big noise…like fireworks.” Taemin mumbled into his daddy’s shirt. He wasn’t actually afraid of the rain, or the thunder that accompanied it. However, he thought of himself as his daddy’s protector, especially when his daddy was sad. There were many times that he saw how his daddy would stare into the distance, looking like he was about to cry. Despite only being 5 years old, he was smart and observant.

The father looked down at his son, smiling at the greatest gift he had ever received. Taemin was the only good thing to come out of his life in Seoul.

He had carried Taemin inside of him for a full 9 months, and gave birth to the joyful toddler.

“I wanna sleep with daddy.” Taemin grabbed bits of his daddy’s shirt in his chubby little hands. He heard a small chuckle come from his dad.

“Alright, but only becomes my Taemin desires it.”

The father carried his son into their shared bedroom.

Looking after them was an older woman in her sixties. She felt incredible sad for her orphaned nephew and his son. The 27 year old and his siblings were a mess when their parents away from an unfortunate car accident 10 years ago. Wangho in particular struggled in the first few months without their parents, as his siblings had each other for company in Seoul while he was finishing high school in Busan. Thankfully, he had moved to Seoul with them soon after graduating. She hadn’t expected any of them to move back to Busan so soon, and with an extra surprise at that.

It had been a sunny, late summer afternoon. She remembered opening the door, and saw her youngest nephew looking like he could collapse at any second. She was surprised, and confused as her eyes move to a small moving bundle in his arms. In her nephew’s eyes, she could only see sorrow.

After settling into her house, he had broken down, and told her everything that had transpired; and why he had moved back to Busan. Ever since that day, she held a hatred in her heart for a man named Sanghyeok Lee.

Taemin fell asleep in Wangho’s arms. Wangho couldn’t fall asleep easily when it was raining. The sound of rain on the rooftops served as an undesirable trigger for a past memory in that _lonely_ house that he had shared with his lawfully wedded husband. Before he knew it, his thoughts drifted back to how it had all started.

_They had met when Wangho was 20. He was still in college, working on earning his bachelor’s degree. He worked part time at a movie theater to help pay for tuition. He told himself that the path to obtaining a better life started with a solid degree._

_His oldest brother, Beomhyeon, had already graduated and was looking for full-time work. His other brother, Jongin, was also a student in college. Jongin had been working part time at the Lee residence. He had been blessed to get the job, considering the easy workload, high pay, and flexible schedule. Wangho remembered that Jongin had caught the flu that day, and couldn’t get out of bed. Beomhyeon had restrained him to the bed to stop him from pushing himself, but Jongin begged Wangho to let him go to work because he couldn’t risk losing the job. Wangho made a deal with him, that if he would rest in bed, then he would go to work in his place for the day._

_That was when he had met Dahee Lee, a wonderful and beautiful woman in her late 40s. She_ _was a kind lady, looking much younger than her age. She had welcomed him with open arms,_ _and told him to let his brother know not to worry. Their family’s head chef had coincidentally_ _also fallen sick, and couldn’t come to make their meals. She couldn’t find anyone that would_ _make meals up to Manseok’s standard. Wangho had learned that Manseok was Dahee’s father in-law, and his taste was very peculiar. If he didn’t like the food he wouldn’t eat, no matter how hungry he was._

_In scurrying around trying to find a chef to come to their home, she had instinctively asked Wangho to try. Despite his best efforts, he eventually gave in half-heartedly. To his surprise, Manseok loved his food. They met, talked, and Wangho was asked to be his personal chef._

_Wangho had declined at first, as he wouldn’t be able to come during all the meal times with his current schedule. However, Dahee and Manseok were very persistent, and probed until they got Wangho to explain his current family situation. He hadn’t like to talk about it, as he didn’t want anyone to pity him. He didn’t expect was a generous job offer that offered to cover both Jongin and his tuition fees, as well as a stipend as long he worked for them. With an offer like that, he simply couldn’t refuse._

_During his second month working for them, he had met Sanghyeok for the first time. He was their only son, and he had just finished studying abroad. He had come home to take over for the family business. Their first encounter was pleasant, and Wangho had been shocked at how polite, kind, and handsome Sanghyeok was. A small feeling had ignited in his heart for him. His feelings for him had grown day by day. They slowly became friends, as the found out about hobbies they had in common, such as gaming._

_Dahee had been surprised at their fast friendship, but she was happy that Sanghyeok was being more sociable and talkative when Wangho was around._

_A few months into their friendship, Sanghyeok had come up to him to ask for a favor. Wangho was surprised at how anxious he was, but agreed to help in any way he could._

_“I’m having a guest over on Saturday night, would you be able to prepare the food?”_

_Wangho was hesitant, as he had only prepared food for Manseok. The meals for the rest of the family had been prepared by other chefs. “Why don’t you ask your family chef? I only help cook for Manseoknim because his taste for food is very unique, and my cooking just happens to line up very well with it. You and your guest might not find it very tasty.”_

_Sanghyeok had laughed, and flashed a smile at him that made his heart flutter. “Don’t worry about it, I’m asking you because I like your cooking. I had a few bites of grandfather’s meals whenever I occasionally ate with him.” He had explained when Wangho had tilted his head in confusion._

_A smile crept onto Wangho’s face. “You like my cooking hyung?” After receiving an honest nod from Sanghyeok, he agreed to the request._

_On Friday, Sanghyeok offered to give him a ride to the market. He was off from work for the day because he hadn’t felt like going into the office on such a rainy day._

_The rain drops looked beautiful, as they burst like lilies on the ground. As he waited on the foyer, he couldn’t help but feel extremely happy in the moment. He felt so lucky to be able to rest in a cozy home, while enjoying such a beautiful view._

_“What are you smiling about?”_

_Wangho jumped, surprised by Sanghyeok’s sudden appearance. “You scared me hyung” he said, as he dramatically collapsed to the ground with a hand over his heart._

_S_ _anghyeok laughed, and kneeled over him. He put his hand over Wangho’s chest, and a small blush crept onto Wangho’s face as his heart started beating even faster. Luckily, Sanghyeok didn’t look at his face as he felt Wangho’s heartbeat._

_Sanghyeok pulled away smiling. “Seems like I really did scare you Wangho, your heart was beating at 100 miles an hour.”_

_Trying to change the subject, Wangho asked “which supermarket are we going to?”_

_Sanghyeok shrugged. “Whichever one you need to go to.”_

_Wangho smiled and nodded. He let Sanghyeok know which two grocery stores he wanted to make a trip to, and Sanghyeok led them both to the car._

_Wangho managed to fall asleep on the ride, despite how short the drive was. After parking the car, Sanghyeok woke him, and told him to stay in the car, and he ran over to the passenger side. Sanghyeok opened the door for him, holding an umbrella big enough for a family over them._

_"Don’t want you to get sick.” Sanghyeok explained, as he helped Wangho out of the car._

_Wangho let out a small laugh, a warm feeling spreading throughout his body despite the cold air. “Wow hyung, when did you become so chivalrous?”_

_Sanghyeok laughed at the question, and put his free arm on his shoulders._

_The trip itself was short and quick, and Wangho knew the layout of the store well. After falling asleep again on the drive back, he put away the groceries they had purchased. “Who’s your guest tomorrow?” he asked Sanghyeok._

_Sanghyeok smiled, and just said “A surprise.” And despite Wangho’s best efforts to pry out any more information, Sanghyeok wouldn’t tell him. Wangho didn’t really care who it was, all that was important was that he was enjoying his time with Sanghyeok. He wished deep in his heart that this moment could last forever._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Been working on this story for a while, looking forward to share this with you guys and for any feedback you might have :)


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Italics are either thoughts or moments from the past!

The door slammed shut, making the house shake. They had just come home from dinner at his parents' house, and it did **_not_ ** go well. He had half expected this, but there was a large part of him that was wishing that Shinhye would stop being so selfish.

“Why are you even mad at me? I’m the one who should be angry! You _know_ that your family hates me, yet you always drag me to these stupid family gatherings. Do you _want_ to embarrass me in front of them?”

Sanghyeok didn’t say a word as he walked into their shared bedroom. Shinhye followed after him, shouting the same words like a repetitive chant. He could already guess what she was going to say next. ‘I love you, but don’t expect me to kneel down and kiss their feet just to please them.’

As if on cue, “I love you Sanghyeok, but don’t expect me to kneel down and kiss their feet just to please them.”

"And I’m tired of listening to you." Sanghyeok sighed, feeling annoyance on his temples. “When have you ever tried to please them? He asked calmly, not wanting to get into a big argument.

“When haven’t I tried? Every time I came over, I brought such expensive gifts. I always got them the best of the best, and they never even _thanked_ me.” How could her husband treat her like this? He was supposed to be on her side, but all he did was dismiss it like it was her fault. “I tried to make them happy, but all I get are angry faces. I expected you to support me, but when I turn to you, all I see is another angry face.” She scoffed, and then threw her coat onto their bed.

Sanghyeok had had enough. “You tried?” he shot back “all you ever did was try and buy their love. Have you ever thought about trying to get to know them?”

“Don’t kid yourself Sanghyeok.” She let out a laugh and crossed her arms. “They don’t even want to see me, why would I try to get closer to them?”

“So what? The point is that you never extended the effort to try and get along with my parents.” Sanghyeok hissed out through gritted teeth. He loved his wife, but he also loved his family. He had already hurt his relationship with his family by marrying Shinhye. Why couldn’t she sacrifice something to get along with them? He was sure his parents are reasonable despite being against their marriage.

“Alright” Shinhye conceded “I admit that is true. But at least I tried to make you happy by making them happy. Why isn’t that enough?”

Sanghyeok let out another heavy sigh. “I can’t talk to you right now.” he said, and walked into the bathroom.

“Why not? I’m not done talking to you.” His wife yelled after him. “We’ve been married for almost 5 years now, and this is the first time you’re walking away from an argument. Are you giving up on our marriage?”

“You’re obviously not understanding what I’m saying. I said nothing about ending our marriage.” Sanghyeok frowned. This was not a small argument. “I just want both of us to calm down before we start yelling nonsense at each other.”

“And then what? Forget about it and act as if it never happened?”

Sanghyeok hated that attitude. He continued into the closet to grab a change of clothes.

“You always do this! I’m your wife but you never stand up for me with your family!”

This last statement was so ridiculous that Sanghyeok immediately whipped his head towards her.

“Oh, I don’t?” Sanghyeok asked sarcastically. “Then how are we married? I went against the marriage my family had forced me into, and left my ex-husband to marry you. Yet somehow, I never stand up for you?” He was mad, he was _furious_.

“Oh now you’re bringing up your ex-husband.” Shinhye laughed. “I remember someone insisting that never thought that sorry excuse of a person as his significant other.”

“Why are you trying to change the subject?” Sanghyeok asked.

“I hardly am. How he got your parents’ approval is beyond comprehension. He must have tricked them into pitying him. So conniving and sly, I didn’t think he had it in him.”

Hearing those words only added fuel to his anger. “Don’t say that about him.” Sanghyeok said, staring into his wife’s face that was filled with mockery.

“Don’t tell me what to do. It’s because of _him_ that your parents made up a dumb rule that they would never accept me until I give you an child. What a ridiculous condition!”

Sanghyeok had wondered why they hadn’t been able to get her pregnant. They had tried every night during the second year of their marriage. “If it’s so ridiculous, why can’t a genius like you do it?”

“What did you just say?” Shinhye walked him to him. “Are you saying that I’m stupid?”

Sanghyeok didn’t reply.

“Listen here. The reason we haven’t had a child yet must be because you’re impotent. I have 9 siblings, and you’re an only child. The only reason I haven’t been able to get pregnant is you.” She punctuated each statement with an aggressive poke on Sanghyeok’s chest.

Sanghyeok slapped her hand away. “I am not impotent. I am an only child because my mother got ovarian cancer the year after I was born.” He glared down at her. She would know this if she had cared about learning about his family. He walked past her, out of their bedroom.

“Where are you going?” Shinhye tried to grab his arm.

“Outside.” He replied, not sparing her a glance as he roughly yanked his arm away.

“Fine then! Sleep outside for all I care!” she screamed at his back, slamming the door shut.

Fatigue creeped into every bone of his body. He was so tired of everything. He wished he could go back to his parents for help, but his pride wouldn’t let him. The irony of it all.

 _"_ _Ex-husband huh?_ ” Sanghyeok thought. He wasn’t sure how he had come up in their argument. He hadn’t seen Wangho in almost 5 years. How was he doing? Where was he now? Sanghyeok hoped that he had found someone better.

Sanghyeok sunk into the couch, and his eyes wandered to the foyer. An image of the past flashed by.

Wangho had never failed to greet him when he came out with that heart shaped smile on his face, no matter how late he got home. Now when he got home after work, no one would be there. Even if Shinhye was home, she wouldn’t rush over to welcome him home.

 _“Did I ever see him without a smile?”_ He wondered. A guilty feeling crept into his heart after thinking about how horribly he had treated him.

_“You’re home early today.” Wangho greeted him. It had been raining that day, so he had a warm towel in his hand for him. He was happy that Sanghyeok had gotten home safely as there were many reports of car accidents in the news._

_Sanghyeok was only there because Shinhye had just left to go overseas for a job, so he hadn’t gone over to her place. He was irritated from not seeing her, irritated from the rain, and irritated from his growling stomach. His anger lashed out at Wangho. “Of course I am, this is MY home after all.” He said sarcastically._

_He saw Wangho coil back, and then lowered his head, hiding his face._

_“I-I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that.”_

_Sanghyeok let out an irritated huff, and then kicked off his shoes. He grabbed the towel from Wangho’s hands, and dried off his face._

_Wangho looked up at him with a gentle smile on his face. “I made your favorite dishes tonight, do you want to eat or shower first?”_

_N_ _ot bothering to respond, Sanghyeok walked straight into the kitchen. Wangho followed after him, before setting the meal._

Sanghyeok tore his eyes away from the foyer, and stared up at the ceiling. He tried sleeping, but every time he closed his eyes, he heard Wangho’s voice.

_“It’s mother’s birthday today! I baked a cake and bought her a gift. Let’s go over to their house for dinner tonight.” Sanghyeok had completely forgotten about his mother’s birthday until Wangho called him during his lunch break. Work was so busy, he barely had enough time for Shinhye. He had been glad Wangho remembered._

_“I prepared a suit for you to wear at your company dinner tonight.” How Wangho even knew about the dinner, Sanghyeok didn’t know. He was supposed to bring a guest, but he had already invited Shinhye to accompany him, and hadn’t intended on asking Wangho. One of his parents must have told him._

_“Happy Birthday Sanghyeok! I made green tea cake, it’s your favorite right?” He had forgotten about his own birthday, and so did Shinhye._

_“I bought you a new pair of shoes while I was shopping today, your current one is getting worn out right?”_

_“I hope you like the new curtains I bought, I thought you’d like the color more and it would keep our house warmer during the winter.”_

Sanghyeok opened his eyes and let out a sigh. _‘I hadn’t had a thought like this for the last 5 years.’_ Why are they happening now? Why couldn’t he get them out of his head?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finished another chapter for you guys :D. Please forgive any grammatical errors!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Italics indicate either thoughts or events that happened in the past.

In the morning, Wangho was staring out into the streets again. The rain was a painful memory, but he had used to love it.

“Daddy, it’s so windy outside!” Taemin exclaimed, with horror in his voice.

Wangho smiled, then knelt down to his son’s level. It had been raining non-stop since last night.

“It’s gonna be so cold.” Taemin mumbled, trying to get out of going to school today. Wangho grabbed his jacket off of the hook and held it up for him. Reluctantly, Taemin started putting it on.

“That’s alright. You have your super warm jacket on now!” Wangho smiled down at him and pinched Taemin’s nose.

Taemin let out a whine and said “Your fingers are so cold daddy!”

“Cold you say?” Wangho asked mischievously, as his slowly got into position to tickle Taemin while wiggling his fingers.

Taemin let out a help and then ran down the hall, hiding behind his great aunt’s legs.

Wangho laughed, as he stood up and grabbed a child sized rain poncho.

“You two, always so troublesome and noisy in the morning.” Wangho’s aunt said in a teasing tone, as she looked down at Taemin with a gentle smile before pushing him towards Wangho. “You two better get going soon or you’ll both be late.”

Taemin, forgetting about how much he didn’t want to go to school just moments earlier, freaked out and said “We can’t be late! Teacher said that there’s no snacks for late students!”

Wangho laughed at his cute little son. “Is that right? We better hurry then!” he said as he slipped the poncho onto Taemin.

Taemin grabbed his bag off of the floor, and then Wangho helped him put on his shoes.

“You didn’t forget anything in your bag?”

Taemin nodded “I packed it all.”

The rain had lightened up by the time they left the house, only a slight drizzle. Taemin ran ahead, trying to splash in some puddles on the way.

Wangho shook his head, smiling at the sight of his joyous son. “Don’t run jump into any big puddles! And wait for me!”

“Daddy is too slow.” Taemin complained. “I can’t be late!”

As they arrived at the elementary school, Taemin let out an excited “We made it!”

Wangho nodded with a smile on his face and grabbed his hand. “Let’s get you inside before you are late!”

Taemin nodded and followed Wangho into the building.

When they reached the classroom, Taemin went inside, and Wangho exchanged greetings with his son’s teacher, and said goodbye to Taemin. “Don’t forget to put on your jacket if you go outside to play today.”

“I won’t.” Taemin pouted.

Wangho chuckled and pinched his cheeks. “Taemin is soooo cute today huh? Auntie and Uncle won’t be home until later today, so I’ll pick you up later and bring you to work, okay?”

Taemin nodded his understanding. “I love you.” “I love you too daddy! See you later” he said as he left a kiss on his daddy’s cheek.

It was about a 15 minute walk to work from Taemin’s school. He had worked at this restaurant for about 2 years now. It had initially been hard to find work when he first moved back to Busan with Taemin. He cycled through many jobs, and dealt with many nasty and bitter employees and employers. The problem wasn’t his job performance, he had done any job he had landed well, and to the best of his ability. However, because every customer loved him, the other employees got jealous of the tips he was receiving. Many of his bosses took a liking to him, and many times tried to sleep with him. He refused every time they had asked, and they hated him for it. He would quit once they would become too persistent.

The jobs where the bosses didn’t want to sleep with him were extremely demanding. They would give him odd hours, and then he would try and reason with them by letting them know that he had an infant he had to care for at home, they would ignore him. He quit after a few long weeks, because Taemin was fussy when he was home without his daddy. It felt like he had to find a new job every few months, and Wangho had thought about giving up many times; but anytime those thoughts crossed his mind, he would think about Taemin, and push through.

After the first 3 years, he finally found a job where he was happy at Rox Diner, a popular restaurant in the tourist area. He landed the job when one of his acquaintances from high school, Kyungho opened it up with his family.

Wangho was greeted warmly as he entered the restaurant, and started setting up the restaurant. His co-workers streamed in over the next half hour, and then business started as usual, picking up around lunch time. At 12:30, Wangho clocked out for lunch, and ran to pick up Taemin from school.

The rain had stopped completely, and the sun started poking out through the clouds. It didn’t stop his chest from hurting as he breathed in the cold air while running. He made it just as the students were filing out of the classroom.

“Taemin!” Wangho shouted, and walked over to his son. It was hard to smile at him when his face was almost frozen, but seeing his son made it easier.

Wangho picked Taemin up into a hug, and Taemin nuzzled into Wangho’s cheek. “Daddy! Why is your face so cold?”

“Because it’s cold outside.” Wangho smiled, and put Taemin down, grabbing his hand. They started to walk towards Rox Diner.

“But how come my face isn’t like that even though I’m outside?”

Wangho squeezed the chubby cheeks as Taemin whined before ruffling his hair. “Well I’m glad your face isn’t cold, if you turned into a snowman I would be so sad.”

“Does that mean you’re going to turn into a snowman?!” Taemin asked, concerned. Wangho laughed and said “Don’t worry, I’m not going to. Who would take care of you if I became a snowman?”

“Good.” Taemin numbled. “Daddy has to stay with me.” He looked around and noticed that his daddy had been the only one without a scarf. _‘He should get one.’_

As they got to Rox Diner, Wangho brought Taemin into the private storage room, and brought over his lunch. “Here Taemin, eat this and then do your homework okay? He asked as he put a fork into his hand.

“Did daddy eat yet?” Taemin asked, as he shoved some rice into his mouth.

Wangho shook his head. “I’ll eat later. I have to get back to work now.” he said as he kissed Taemin on the cheek.

“Take one bite?” Taemin asked, grabbing his hand.

“Okay. Ahhhh” Wangho opened up his mouth as his son fed him some of the food. He ruffled the boy’s hair before leaving the room.

The restaurant was busy, as expected during the lunch rush. He immediately jumped into service, bringing out dishes and drinks, taking orders, and ringing up checks. Once lunch hour was over, Wangho looked over the last table while his co-workers took their lunch breaks. He saw Kyungho waving him over from the kitchen.

“I promised Taemin I would make him some bulgogi next time he comes over.” He explained as he put the plate in Wangho’s hands.

Wangho smiled “Hyung, you really didn’t need to. He already ate the food that I had packed.” He felt guilty taking any freebies from the restaurant that he had grown to love. “I can order some from you when he asks for it.”

Kyungho waved him off. “Don’t even worry about it, I love Taemin. I’m doing this because I want to be his favorite uncle.” He said as he winked.

Wangho shook his head and let out a small laugh before thanking him and started to bring the plate to Taemin.

“Since Taemin ate your lunch, be sure to have some too.” Kyungho called after him. Wangho nodded in response.

As he entered the storage room, he found his son sleeping right on top of his notebook. Wangho laughed at how cute he looked, and set the plate down on the table before moving Taemin to lie flat on the mats and placed his sweater under his head. Wangho gulped down half of the bulgogi before heading back to work.

Right as he walked back into the main room, 2 customers entered. He immediately walked him and greeted them with a smile, only to stop short when a woman took off her hood. He gasped inwardly and suddenly his heart felt heavy as a painful memory arose.

It was Shinhye Lee. Her eyes widened as she recognized him.

* * *

“Shinhye?” The friend that came with her nudged her. “You okay?”

“Huh?” Shinhye blinked and turned to her friend. “Yeah I’m fine, just spaced out for a bit.” She apologized. Wangho could tell she didn’t want her friend to know that they knew each other. Wangho shook his head clear before directing them to a table. He took their orders, brought them beverages, and waited for the food to be made. As he stood in the kitchen helping cut the tofu for the soup, Shinhye’s face relentlessly popped up in his head.

_There was a tense atmosphere, and Wangho didn’t know why as he stood at the side of the dining table after bringing out all the dishes he had prepared._

_“This is Shinhye Song, my girlfriend from the States.” Sanghyeok had said as he and Shinhye stood at the entrance of the dining room._

_Shinhye smiled and greeted “Good evening. It’s a pleasure to finally meet Sanghyeok’s family.”_

_Wangho could see the exasperated sigh and annoyance from Dahee. The men at the table were less obvious with their emotions._

_“What’s she doing here?” Dahee asked, not looking at Shinhye. She knew Sanghyeok had been dating a korean model while he was in the states. Sanghyeok had showed her a photo once. While Dahee thought that Shinhye was pretty, she developed a distaste for her when she saw the model being portrayed in the media as a cheap porn star. She didn’t want a daughter-in-law like Shinhye, who felt no shame in flashing her body to the public. For the conservative Lee family, Shinhye was a huge let down._

_“Shinhye just got back from the States, and will be living in Korea from now on, so I wanted to introduce her to my family as she will be my bride in the future.”_

_“What’s her profession?” Dahee asked, knowing the answer._

_Sanghyeok sighed. He knew this was coming, his mother had long voiced her dislike for his girlfriend and had told him to break up with him while he was still in the States. However he couldn’t do that, he loved her. “You already know the answer.”_

_“Then you should also know that I won’t accept her.” Dahee shot back, her head held high._

_As they started arguing, Wangho didn’t know what he did to deserve this. The man he thought had been harboring feelings for, and thought that might have started reciprocating them had a girlfriend the entire time. He was so embarrassed, thinking that he had prepared dinner with so much joy knowing that Sanghyeok would be eating the dishes. He felt so heartbroken, even though he knew he had no right to be._

_“I do not welcome her in this house.” Dahee ended the argument._

_“Please, modeling is my dream. I can’t give it up, or deny that I am a model. But I also love Sanghyeok, I can’t give him up either.” Shinhye said firmly, anger lacing her words. She was upset that this was going so poorly._

_Dahee had nothing else to say, and turned away. Sanghyeok grabbed Shinhye’s wrist and led her out of the house without another word._

_Wangho felt so awkward standing there. He felt like he was intruding since he wasn’t a part of their family._

_“That was a bit harsh.” Hojun said after a long silence._

_Dahee laughed as she took a sip of wine. “That girl has no shame, and I know you feel the same way as I do. We would both rather have Sanghyeok marry Wangho.”_

_Hojun smiled at the thought, and looked over at Wangho, who was blushing furiously after hearing those words. “Looks like you struck a chord.”_

_Dahee looked up at him, not knowing she had caused such a reaction. She smiled and invited Wangho to sit down with them and have dinner. While he didn’t have much of an appetite anymore, he was so happy to sit down for the first time with the people that were the closest things to parents he had anymore._

“Order’s up!” Kyungho called out at him, bringing Wangho back to reality. He quickly washed his hands and brought the food out of the kitchen to serve it. While Shinhye was very cold towards him, he was glad that she did because he wouldn’t know what to do if she tried to start a conversation with him.

It was now almost 3, when the restaurant would close down for a break before opening at 5 for dinner. Normally, Wangho works both shifts, but since his Aunt and Uncle weren’t home to care for Taemin, he wouldn’t be today.

He started wiping down tables while waiting for the last table to finish. After a few minutes, they asked for the check, and left cash on the table. He looked down at the table, and saw a 50,000 won note separate from a pile of cash enough for the bill. He wondered if Shinhye left that out, pitying him. Wangho shrugged, he didn’t care what Shinhye thought after all, and put the tip in the basket before clocking out.

Taemin was just beginning to stir as he got back into the storage room.

“Taemin, we’re going home.” He whispered, holding his jacket.

Taemin yawned and then stretched his arms over his head before packing up his stuff. “I’m tired daddy.” He murmured as he slipped into his jacket.

Wangho smiled, and carried him out of the restaurant. As he carried him home, the image of Shinhye’s smirk was on his mind. It bothered him, and it slowly made him feel insulted by the tip, and because the smirk brought back another painful memory.

_After a month of living together, Wangho felt like Sanghyeok had finally started coming around. Sanghyeok had resented him after his mother forced him to marry Wangho, and had treated him coldly for the last month. Wangho couldn’t blame him for it, but now Sanghyeok had started to come home earlier than usual, before dinner time. Even though they still weren’t talking, he could feel a little bit more kindness and care in Sanghyeok’s actions._

_One day, Sanghyeok came home very very drunk. It was a miracle he had even made it into the house without falling over. Wangho helped him change and get ready for bed. After setting him into his bed, Wangho got up and started heading for his own. He hadn’t expected Sanghyeok to pull him into the bed with him, and make love._

_As more weeks had passed, he thought that Sanghyeok was actually starting to have feelings for him through the caring gestures when he was feeling very sick basically every morning._

_“You should go see the doctor today.” Sanghyeok said to him before leaving for work._

_And so, he did. And he was SO glad that he did. As he left the hospital, he was filled with happiness that he quickly called a taxi to go see Dahee and Hojun. They were ecstatic as he shared the news that he was pregnant with them, and urged him to call Sanghyeok immediately._

_Right as he was pulling out his phone, he received a call from Sanghyeok. Sanghyeok would never call him, but Wangho picked up thinking he must have wanted to know what happened with the doctor._

_“Where are you?” Sanghyeok asked him, irritation in his voice._

_Wangho frowned a bit, wondering if everything was alright. “I’m at your parents’ place.” He heard some rustling in the background before hearing “Stay there and wait for me.”_

_"_ _Okay.” Wangho didn’t question why even thought it was strange. He turned back to Dahee and told him what Sanghyeok had said._

_“He is going to be SO happy.” Dahee said excitedly, and Wangho smiled, hoping she was right. However, there was a pit in his stomach, and he had a bad feeling about it._

_An hour later, the doorbell rang, and it woke Wangho from the short nap he had been taking in the living room next to Dahee. “That must be Sanghyeok!” she said excitedly._

_Wangho smiled at her, basking in her excitement. He was satisfied knowing that he was doing his best to make the family happy._

_Sanghyeok walked in. And right as Dahee was about to let him know, Shinhye followed in behind him._

_Wangho was confused, and hurt. He had thought that Sanghyeok and Shinhye weren’t seeing each other anymore. Dahee had assured him of that at their marriage. What was going on? The pit in his stomach was growing, and then feeling he had earlier was only getting stronger._

_After a silence that felt like it lasted forever, Dahee spoke up. “What is the meaning of this?” she asked angrily. She had told her son to sever his relationship with this girl, but here she was again. She hated the smug smile that was on the model’s face right now._

_Sanghyeok looked away from his mother, feeling guilty. Guilty enough to almost make him regret coming forward about his affair with Shinhye._

_“I told you to stop seeing her. Did I not make myself clear about who I don’t want in this house?” Dahee asked coldly. Her arms were crossed across her chest, and she looked away from his face._

_“You did.” Sanghyeok said, pulling Shinhye to his side. “But I have an announcement to make.”_

_Wangho looked up at Sanghyeok, worry in his face. However, the taller didn’t even acknowledge him. Suddenly, Wangho felt incredibly nauseous._

_As Hojun and Manseok entered the room, confusion was on their faces as well. “What’s going on?” Hojun asked._

_Sanghyeok took out a large envelope from his briefcase. He walked to the table and set it down. “Shinhye and I plan on getting married at the end of the year.”_

_A collection of gasps could be heard._

_Dahee whipped her head to look at her son. “What?!”_

_Wangho felt his knees give out, and he sat back down on the sofa, gripping the sofa arm tightly, shaking in disbelief._

_“Are you aware that you are currently married?” Dahee asked him angrily._

_Sanghyeok had a defiant look on his face as he looked at her. “Mother, I am old enough to make decisions for MYSELF, especially when it concerns my life and happiness You know that I love Shinhye, yet you told me to break up with her and marry…him.” He said with venom in his voice._

_Dahee sighed, feeling so disappointed that she was having to argue with her only child because of a girl. “She might be what you fancy now, but she has no ability to provide for you as a significant other; not like Wangho can. I’m doing that is best for you.”_

_Meanwhile, there were tears forming in Wangho’s eyes. ‘Everything he did, it wasn’t because he had feelings for me.’ The argument continued, but he couldn’t hear anything anymore. He could feel silence fill the room, and then he heard his name. He looked up in confusion, and he saw everyone’s eyes on him._

_“Mother said you have something to tell me.” Sanghyeok said, looking expectantly at him._

_Wangho didn’t know what to do. He felt lost until his eyes met Ayana’s. He realized what she wanted him to say. He shook his head._

_“Wangho, you have to tell him.”_

_“It’s nothing.” He said sternly. It was the first time he had used this voice with her._

_Dahee was shocked, she didn’t know why Wangho was hiding his pregnancy from her son._

_Wangho swallowed a heavy lump in his throat as he glanced at the folder on the table. “Is that the divorce paper?” he asked. His voice came out soft and small, completely different from the one he had just used at Dahee._

_Sanghyeok felt another wave of guilt upon hearing it from Wangho. Truthfully, he had no ill feelings towards Wangho at all, just the marriage that he had been forced into. He appreciated all the things that Wangho did, but because he felt like he had to be faithful to Shinhye, he couldn’t show any appreciation. He nodded as an answer to his question._

_Wangho stood up and grabbed the envelope. “I’ll have it completed by tomorrow.” He said quietly, facing the floor._

_Dahee felt pitiful and sad for Wangho. She wanted to just scream out the news, but since Wangho had made the decision himself, she had to respect it._

_“Thank you.” Sanghyeok said, avoiding looking at Wangho as well. “We’re leaving now.” Sanghyeok turned around and took Shinhye with him._

_“Wangho…” Dahee whispered._

_Wangho accepted Sanghyeok’s decision, but there was still something nagging inside of him. He wanted to know if Sanghyeok had only been nice to him because he pitied him. He had to know. He quickly ran out of the living room._

_Sanghyeok was about to leave the front porch when Wangho came out. He release Shinhye’s hand and asked her to wait in the car._

_Shinhye nodded and left a kiss on Sanghyeok’s lips._

_Wangho watched her go down the steps before entering the car. He saw her smirking at him, and he turned away immediately._

_“Wangho?” Sanghyeok questioned softly._

_“I just wanted to know…” Wangho fidgeting his feet, nervous. He looked up in Sanghyeok’s eyes. “All those times you came home early, and were nice to me, was it because of this? Was it because you pitied me?”_

_Sanghyeok was silent, and Wangho continued. “…Is that why you made love to me?” he asked quietly. Getting only silence back, and Wangho knew the answer. He nodded to show that he understood. “Thank you.”_

_“I’m sorry.” Sanghyeok said. He wanted to say more, but he couldn’t. It was partly out of pity, but he did also feel happy when he saw Wangho’s heart shaped smile those times._

_“It’s alright.” Wangho replied, forcing a smile. “I wish you a happy life.” He turned around and walked back into the house. After closing the door, he leaned against it, sliding to the floor as the tears started to fall. He had lied, it wasn’t alright. It was never alright. How was he supposed to raise a child by himself?_

_He didn’t know how long Dahee had been watching him cry, he didn’t even notice her until she gathered him into her arms._

_“Oh Wangho…” Dahee was upset with her son, but how she felt nothing but remorse for Wangho. She stroked his fair as she listened to his sobs._

_“I-I thought he was beginning to like me.” He whispered between his cries. “How could he do this to me? What have I done wrong?” He looked up at Dahee’s face to realize that she was crying with him._

_“Nothing.” She said firmly. “You did nothing wrong. It was my fault, you are too good for him. I never should have asked you to marry him.”_

_Wangho shook his head. “No, I just wasn’t good enough It’s my fault that I assumed he liked me and built false hope. I couldn’t see his true intention, and set myself up.”_

_“Wangho…”_

_“I tried everything I could to please him, to make him happy.” He took a breath “but he was never happy when he was with me.”_

_Dahee let him cry on her shoulder until it was reduced to soft hiccups and sniffs. She pushed him up from her shoulder. “Why didn’t you tell him? He would have stayed.”_

_Wangho lightly shook his head, and forced another smile. “He would hate me even more for obligating him to stay for our child. Sure, he would have stayed. But I don’t want our child to be the only reason he’s staying. There’s no point in keeping him with me if he feels like I’m chaining down his freedom. I don’t want out child to grow up in the same cold house that I’ve been living in.”_

_Dahee nodded in understanding. “I’m so sorr-.”_

_Wangho cut her off. “Please don’t. I should be thanking you for treating me like your real son. When my parents died, I had no one to look up to besides my siblings, and you really made me feel like I still have a mother. You really mean a lot to me. Father and Grandfather too.” He said as he looked at the men standing not too far away._

_Dahee cupped his cheeks “Stay with me, and we’ll raise the child together.”_

_Wangho held her hands. “I would love to stay, but I don’t think I can.” He pleaded with her. “I don’t want him to know about my pregnancy. I don’t want his pity…I’ll find a way to raise the child myself. Please don’t tell anyone.”_

_Dahee frowned, not wanting Wangho to go away. “It’s not easy to raise a child Wangho, let us help you. I love you, and I want to help.”_

_“Thank you, but I have confidence. I will be able to raise this child, please understand?”_

_Dahee hesitated, but conceded. “Okay, but please let me cover the hospital fees for the baby’s birth. It’s the least I can do.”_

_Wangho agreed. “That’s more than enough.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A long chapter for you guys :D Please leave any comments or feedback you guys have.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pretty boring and short chapter...but I really wanted to get it up today so please bear with me 😅

Sanghyeok had a headache, trying to figure out how to solve the problem with his wife. They were both still angry at each other, and neither would concede. When he entered their bedroom in the morning, Shinhye was already dressed and ready to go. She was packing clothes into a small suitcase. Sanghyeok didn’t need to ask to know what she was doing. She had done it many times before, and he didn’t care anymore. Grabbing a suit from the closet, he went into the bathroom without saying a word.

Shinhye hated it when Sanghyeok ignored her despite making it obvious that she was packing to go away from home. He didn’t care, not at ALL. She slammed her suitcase shut.

She couldn’t believe it. Sanghyeok had been such a sweet, caring man. Now he was anything but that. He didn’t seem to care at all, and that made her scared and frustrated. While he was showering, she brought her stuff downstairs and brewed herself a coffee. 15 minutes later, he went into the kitchen and made himself a cup of tea. They had never made each other’s drinks.

“I’m going to a friend’s house in Busan for a few days.”

Sanghyeok didn’t bother responding, walking out of the kitchen and left for work.

For the first time in _years_ Sanghyeok felt peaceful and could concentrate at work. Shinhye would normally call him, no care for when, at least 5 times a day. Usually for pointless topics he might add. With the peace, he was able to finish all the work he had for the day by the early afternoon. He left to go home after he finished.

The house was quiet now that Shinhye had childishly decided to run away from their current problem. Sanghyeok swore he could even hear his footsteps echo.

Opening to fridge to discover that there was nothing in it other than an expired yogurt, he slammed it closed in frustration. While contemplating where to order food from, he saw the ghost of his ex-husband preparing food at the counter, asking him what he would like to eat.

They had never eaten together a single time.

By the time Sanghyeok would get home to have dinner, Wangho would be preparing the meal for the next day, or cleaning up. And that was only when he came home for dinner at all.

Sanghyeok’s stomach grumbled, and brought him back to his current predicament. He decided to dial a number that he hadn’t in a while. The waiting tone came on as he waited for the other party to answer.

“Hello?”

“Mother…It’s Sanghyeok.”

The combination of rain and snow was frustrating to look at. If she had known Busan would have this horrible weather, she would have gone somewhere else.

* * *

“What’s with the sour face?”

Shinhye turned away from the window and rolled over on the bed. “The weather here sucks.”

Her friend facepalmed at her. “Then what are you really doing here? Go somewhere else for a vacation.”

“Even if I wanted to, I can’t. I have so many things to tell you.”

Her friend threw her a curious look. “There’s more?!”

Shinhye let out an annoyed sigh and buried her face into a pillow. “Too many for one day.”

“Can I keep it real with you?”

Shinhye sat up, and nodded at her friend.

“All these fights with your husband…over his family…are ridiculous.” Shinhye frowned at her friend, but kept silent. “If I were in your place, I would try everything possible to improve the relationship with his family. I don’t blame you for what you do, but you need to show them that you can be better. You seem to hate them just as much as they hate you. Believe me, people know if they’re being hated.”

“That’s not the only problem.” Shinhye protested.

“What else is there?”

Shinhye paused, then said “His mother wants an heir. Sanghyeok said that if we give his parents one, then they would accept me as part of their family.”

“Then just give them a child.”

“You think we haven’t tried? We tried every day for over a year. Nothing!”

“Have you guys gone for a fertility test?”

“I had thought about it…but I’m scared that I might be the one that’s sterile. This would be over if that’s true.”

“Well, you’re in Busan, alone. Why not find out right now?”

"But what if I’m really the one that’s infertile?”

“We’ll deal with that if that happens.” Shinhye’s friend comforted her.

Just a few miles away, Wangho had just put Taemin to sleep. With his aunt and uncle gone for the night, the house was silent. He quietly left the bedroom and entered the living room. It was raining again, so he couldn’t sleep. He knew he would dream about his past again if he did, and he did _not_ want to think about it after seeing Shinhye today. It hurt. It hurt just as much as the day the divorce papers were brought up.

* * *

Dahee peeked through the gap of her son’s old room. His back was facing her, and he was standing at the window, watching the cars and people pass by. She didn’t ask why he called her, or why he wanted to have dinner with her. She was very pleasantly surprised by the call.

In the 5 years since he had married Shinhye, she had observed how his happiness started turning bitter. The more time passed, the unhappier her son became. She thought he wanted this, that he was confident about this marriage. That it would make him happy. And so, she stopped nagging him about it being a mistake.

Now he had come back to her, seemingly needing help. However, he hadn’t talked to her about it yet, but she was willing to listen. She knocked lightly on the door, before pushing it open. Sanghyeok turned from the window to face her.

“Mother.”

She smiled gently at him. “It’s been a while since you’ve slept in this bed hm?” she asked him as she sat on it, patting the space beside her.

He nodded in agreement as he sat down beside her. He wanted to rant to her about his marriage issues, but he couldn’t summon the courage to do so. He had been the one so insistent on the marriage, and went against her choice. He was too ashamed to complain to her.

“I know that I haven’t been the best mother and wasn’t supportive of your marriage…but you know that you can still tell me anything. I’m still here for you. You’re my only child and I could never hate you.” She said, as she held his hand.

After a moment of silence, Sanghyeok said “I’m sorry.” Sanghyeok squeezed her hands back. “I hate myself for hurting you all these years. I left you infuriated, yet I came back only to seek your comfort. I’m a bad son, aren’t I?”

She looked sadly, with a bitter smile on her face. “We all make mistakes, no one is perfect. I don’t hold anything against you. Despite how unhappy and angry I was in that moment of your decision, your happiness is the only thing that matters.”

He looked at her and smiled, before saying “Shinhye and I got in a fight after we got home yesterday.”

Right as Dahee was about to apologize for acting cold and distant, he stopped her. “It wasn’t your fault at all.” He assured. “It was just a lot of small problems that had built up.”

He spent the rest of the night talking about the problems in his marriage, and his changing feelings towards his wife.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The drama is starting :o
> 
> All the italics in this chapter indicated thoughts!

“What do you want to eat today?”

Taemin lit up when he heard this question. Whenever his daddy asked, it meant that he could basically have anything he wanted.

“Burgers!” he said, eyes shining.

Wangho nodded. “Okay, we’ll get some burgers on our way home.”

Taemin cheered as they finished their walk to school. Burgers were his favorite food, but he was limited to having it once a month because it wasn’t healthy, and they were pricey.

Walking from Taemin’s school to work, he almost ran into Shinhye. He ducked behind a storefront, and then saw Shinhye and her friend walk into a clinic. He was curious why she had come all the way to Busan for a check-up without Sanghyeok, but decided that it wasn’t any of his business. Perhaps she was pregnant.

He sighed, and then came out of his hiding spot. He had to get to work.

* * *

Shinhye got the results that same day, and she wished she had never gone to the clinic.

She grabbed onto her friend’s shoulders. “T-That can’t be right. It can’t be. The results must be wrong.” She said hysterically.

“Calm down Shinhye.” Her friend soothed. “Remember what I said, we can deal with it. We will find a way to give him a child.”

“But how will we do that?”

“We’ll fake your pregnancy.”

“It’s not possible. He’ll know what’s going on if I get sperm from him. We can’t do a surrogate.”

“Then we’ll adopt an infant.”

Shinhye thought about it. That sounded viable…but difficult. “How will we keep it a secret from him?”

“Just tell him that your hormones and mood swings are bitchy. He wouldn’t touch you if you don’t want him to, and during the third trimester just tell him that you want to prepare for the birth in Busan.”

Shinhye slowly nodded. They could do this.

* * *

Sanghyeok returned to his parents’ house after work. He had missed having dinner with his family, and not having Shinhye around really relaxed the atmosphere. However, Dahee advised him to call Shinhye to pick her up. After all, they were married. They had to work together to get through their problems.

Taking her advice, he gave her a call. “Sanghyeok…” the voice came through the device.

Sanghyeok felt a knot in his stomach. “I’m…pregnant.”

He got to work early the next morning, to make up for the fact that he had to leave early to pick up Shinhye. She had apologized for the argument, blaming it on the hormones. Sanghyeok believed her, and made a plan to pick her up.

The weather in Busan was horrible again. The wind, in combination with the wet snow made driving both difficult and dangerous. Everyone was going well below the speed limit, and on top of it school hours had just ended, so there were more vehicles and pedestrians on the road than usual.

While waiting for a light, he felt a strange longing for a family. He had always wanted a son or daughter to play with after a tiring day at work. He had met some of his employee’s children during events, and saw how happy they would be together as a family.

While he did love his wife, her attitude recently had been frustrating and tested his patience.

He casually glanced over to the other side of the street, before refocusing on the road. Wait, what was that? He looked back over and did a double take. He couldn’t believe his eyes, but right there walked on the streets was Wangho, carrying a small child in his arms as he walked through the snow. The child’s face was hidden in his hood.

The thought of Wangho having a child with someone else sparked a bit of jealousy inside of him. Sanghyeok wasn’t quite sure why, he had no reason or right to feel that way.

As the cars in front of him started to move, he wasn’t sure what took over him, but he pulled into a parking space on the curb and got out of his car. He waited by his car as Wangho walked closer. Sanghyeok could see his mouth moving as if he was talking to the child in his arms.

As Wangho was walking past him, he called out. “Wangho.”

Wangho stopped in his tracks as he looked up from Taemin’s face to see who had called him. His eyes widened when he saw who had. He hadn’t seen Sanghyeok for 5 years… He blinked in confusion. Then, his thoughts fell to Taemin, and he started panicking.

_ ‘Does he know? Is he here to take Taemin away?’ _

“How have you been?” Sanghyeok asked.

Wangho blinked and looked away. He tightened his hold on Taemin, who let out a small whine at the sudden force.

“Daddy?” Taemin tried to move his head up from his shoulder, but Wangho gently pushed it back down.

“It’s okay, Taemin.” Wangho whispered to him. He looked back over to Sanghyeok. “I’m in a hurry. Please excuse us.” He gave him a tight smile before continuing past him.

“Wangho.” Sanghyeok tried to call again, grabbing at his elbow as he walked by, but Wangho pulled away quickly.

“Please, do not touch me.” The pain and anger in his eyes and voice made Sanghyeok withdraw.

“I’m sorry.”

Wangho shook his head. “Please forget that you saw me today. We never crossed paths.” And with that he walked away.

Sanghyeok saw the child raise his head as they moved away, looking at him. He felt something stirring inside of him, and it made him follow them slowly in his car.

He saw the restaurant Wangho had walked into. He was familiar with it, it was quite well known around Busan. He wasn’t sure how long he would be waiting, but he waited in his car.

An hour into the wait, he got a call from Shinhye. She asked him if he would still be coming today, and right as he was going to tell her that he was in Busan, he pivoted and lied, saying that he decided not to get her today because of the weather.

Another two hours passed before he saw Wangho walk out of the restaurant, holding the child’s hand. He got out of the car and started walking towards them.

The instant Wangho saw Sanghyeok approaching, he hid Taemin behind his legs. “Stay there.” He whispered.

Taemin saw the stranger and nodded. His eyes shrunk, readying to defend his daddy if the stranger did anything mean to them.

Sanghyeok glanced at the boys head peeking out from behind Wangho’s legs. There was something so…so familiar about his eyes. He couldn’t make out any other features on the boy’s face because of his hood.

“Can we talk?”

“There’s nothing to talk about, and I have nothing to say to you.” Wangho said sharply. Seeing Sanghyeok again made some old feelings start to resurface, making his heart start to hurt almost as much as it did the day Sanghyeok left.

“I just want to catch up, and find out how you’ve been.”

“You’ve never cared before.” Wangho said coldly. “It’s fine, I’m fine.”

Sanghyeok didn’t like the cold treatment he was getting, despite knowing that he completely deserved it. He nodded at the answer. “That’s good.” His gaze traveled down again to the child. This did not go unnoticed by Wangho, who pushed Taemin a bit further behind him. “Is that your son?”

Wangho nodded. “We need to get home early. Please excuse us.” He tugged on Taemin’s hand, trying to walk past Sanghyeok.

“I can drive you gu-“.

“No thank you.” Wangho said with finality. “I hope this is the last time we see each other.”

Once home, he and Taemin ate the burgers they had purchased from Rox Diner, and watched a short TV program before getting ready for bed. Once Taemin fell asleep, he wandered into the living room to clean up all of Taemin’s stuff, which had gotten strewn all over the floor. Once finished, he went over to draw the curtains, but right before doing so, his eyes traveled across the street and saw a light from a car parked across the street.

He gulped nervously and frowned. Fear crept into his heart.  _ ‘If he followed me here, he must know about Taemin.’  _ He didn’t want to talk to him, he was content with his life and hadn’t wished for anything else.

He wanted to go back to his bedroom and call it a night. But…his heart and his mind wouldn’t let him. He couldn’t let Sanghyeok just freeze in his car overnight.

Grabbing a jacket, he stepped out of the house. Sanghyeok saw him, and got out of his car. Wangho marched up to Sanghyeok angrily.

“Why did you follow me?!” his voice filled with rage. All he wanted was to be left alone.

“I know…I shouldn’t have. But I wanted to talk to you, after so many years.”

“I don’t! Can’t you just leave me alone like you always did?” From how Sanghyeok flinched at hearing those words, he knows he hit a bit of a sore spot. “Please, go home.” Wangho turned and started to walk away, but Sanghyeok grabbed onto his arm again. “I won’t go anywhere until you agree to talk.”

Wangho angrily turned around, and yanked his arm away. “What is wrong with you?! What don’t you understand? I don’t want to see, OR talk to you. Why are you such a stubborn person?”

A small laugh from Sanghyeok caught him off guard. “It’s not the first time I’m hearing those words to describe me.”

Wangho let out an irritated huff. “Nothing about this is funny. I’m really tired and want to sleep. Why can’t you just let me be?” God how he wished his Aunt and Uncle were home, but they had just left for Seoul to visit his brothers. “Haven’t you tortured me enough?” he asked quietly.

Sanghyeok wasn’t sure what to say. “Please…”

Wangho wasn’t sure what to do. “…You can come in for a cup of tea, but we’re NOT talking.” He gave in.

Sanghyeok eagerly nodded. For some reason, he felt hopeful as he followed Wangho.

Wangho was tired, he didn’t even try and hide it like he did when they were married. Sanghyeok could see the bags under his eyes, and felt guilty for troubling his ex-husband. He knew full well that they had no business with each other, and yet Sanghyeok still found himself eagerly waiting in the kitchen for the cup of tea that he didn’t know he had missed so much.

Wangho quietly made him a cup of earl gray tea. As Sanghyeok took a sip from the mug, his eyes widened a bit in surprise. He hadn’t asked for any tea in particular, but Wangho had made his favorite tea, with just the right amount of milk and sweetness. He felt nostalgia sweep over his body.

“You still make the best tea.” He said out loud, not looking directly at Wangho.

Wangho scoffed in disbelief. He didn’t believe Sanghyeok at all, he had never enjoyed the tea that he made for him. He had never taken more than a few sips before pouring the rest out into the sink.

After Sanghyeok finished his tea, Wangho said “You should leave.”

Sanghyeok nodded understandingly. He felt said that Wangho resented him, but he had every right to. As he stood up, they both heard little footsteps running down the hall into the kitchen. Taemin ran into Wangho’s legs.

“Daddy! I need to pee!” he said.

Wangho panicked inside, picking Taemin up. He hoped that Sanghyeok didn’t get a good look at him. “Shh, it’s okay.” He cooed as they quickly left the kitchen.

Sanghyeok felt a strong familiarity with the boy. He wasn’t sure why, but he could feel a connection between them.

After putting Taemin back to bed, Wangho went back to the kitchen, and said “Please never come here again. You have your own life, and I have mine. I’ve already made peace with what you’ve done, just leave it at that.”

“Your son…where is his other parent?”

“I’m a single parent. That’s the last thing I’m going to say to you. Please leave.”

After walking Sanghyeok out the door, he slid down the door and felt a few tears form as he was reminded of the past.

“Daddy?” he heard Taemin call out to him. He looked up to see him with a blanket in his arms. “Please don’t cry anymore.”

Wangho smiled through his tears, and opened his arms to hug Taemin.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Italics are for thoughts in this chapter.

The next day, Sanghyeok was driving with Shinhye back to Seoul. The tension was still in the air.

Shinhye looked up at her husband, thinking of what she should say. “Hey Sanghyeok”

A slight nod from him indicated that he had heard her.

“Do you want our first child to be a girl or a boy?”

“Either is fine.” He quickly replied.

She smiled, and reached for the hand that wasn’t on the wheel. “I feel the same way. I’m so excited for the addition we’re going to have to our family. We’ve been waiting for this for so long.”

Sanghyeok forced a smile onto his lips as he held her hand.

Shinhye wondered what was on her husband’s mind, as it looked like he was deep in thought.

Little did she know, his mind was filled with thoughts of his ex-husband and his child.

The next day, they went over to his parent’s home. They were surprised to learn of the new addition, but were excited nonetheless. Dahee tried to act warmer and more caring towards Shinhye. Sanghyeok knew that he should be ecstatic about the pregnancy, but for some reason he wasn’t. His thoughts and even his dreams were filled with thoughts of Wangho and his son, preventing him from giving his wife his full attention.

“You seem distracted.” Hojun said as he sat down beside him on the porch. Shinhye and Dahee were talking inside. “Shouldn’t you be excited that she is carrying your child?”

Sanghyeok let out a big sigh. “Can I tell you something, father?”

Hojun nodded. “Of course you can. You can tell me anything.”

“I saw Wangho when I was in Busan.” He noticed how his father flinched and didn’t reply. “I saw him with a little boy who called him daddy.”

Hojun forced himself to be calm. “Oh? Has he found someone else?”

Sanghyeok shook his head. “He said that he’s a single parent…” he sounded uncertain and confused.

“…Perhaps the other parent passed away.”

Sanghyeok had thought of that possibility, but then why wouldn’t Wangho just say so? “It could be the case…but the boy just looks…so familiar?”

_ ' _ _ That’s because you’re the other parent.’ _ Hojun sadly thought, wondering what his grandson looked like, and if they were doing alright. “He probably just reminded you of Wangho.”

What his father said did make sense, but it didn’t do anything to relax his thoughts.

“You should take care of your wife. Your mother and I can feel the tension between you two, but you need to work it out. Women are sensitive when they’re pregnant. Don’t stress her out or it’ll put your child’s life in danger.”

Sanghyeok nodded at the advice. However, that entire night he had trouble sleeping.

* * *

Ever since his encounter with Sanghyeok, Wangho prayed constantly that he would never see Sanghyeok again. And he was glad that Sanghyeok hadn’t come back. A few weeks passed, and their life had gone back to how it was before Sanghyeok showed up.

One day when he was walking with Taemin, he saw him ogling at a jacket in one of the window displays. Taemin had grown a lot since last winter, and did need a new coat. After dropping Taemin off at school, he went back to the store to check the price. Unfortunately, the jacket would eat up all their extra income for over 2 weeks. They couldn’t afford it, so he had gone to a thrift shop to find a jacket with a similar design.

Luckily, someone had just donated one to the store, and it was in great condition. He purchased it, and planned to surprise Taemin with it once they were home.

After they finished dinner, Wangho sat on the bed next to Taemin “Has Taemin been a good little boy?” he asked playfully.

“Yes, of course I have Daddy! Do I get a present?” His innocent eyes looked up at him.

“Of course. Close your eyes, no peeking!”

Taemin cupped his eyes in his hands. “Eyes are closed daddy!”

Wangho laughed softly as he grabbed the bag out from under the bed.

I’m going to count to 3, and then you open your eyes, okay?” Taemin nodded. “Alright. 1. 2. 3!”

Taemin’s eyes twinkled as he saw the jacket, and Wangho felt a surge of love and happiness. “A new jacket!” he squealed in glee, as he scurried out of the blanket to reach for the jacket.

“Why don’t you stand up? I’ll help you into it.”

Taemin instantly complied. He rarely got new presents, but he was always grateful and happy whenever he did. “Wow! It fits perfectly!” He threw his daddy a toothy grin. “Thank you!”

Wangho patted his son’s head. “You’re welcome.”

Taemin ran off to show it to his aunt and uncle, before returning to his daddy to ask if he could wear it to school the next day.

“Of course you can. Now, let’s get it off. It’s time for sleep.”

The next morning, Taemin was running excitedly on their way to school. “The jacket is so warm and nice!”

Wangho had to speed walk to catch up to his excited son.

Later that day, when he was going to pick up his son, he found him sitting in a corner by a tree, with tears running down his cheeks. The moment he saw Wangho, he ran as fast as his legs would carry him into Wangho’s arms and started crying harder.

“What’s wrong Taemin?” Wangho asked, as he planted a kiss on his head. His heart swelled with pain seeing his son so upset, and he noticed that he wasn’t wearing his new jacket.

“This mean boy…in the other…class said that we’re…poor and I’m…wearing his…old…stinky old jacket! I told him that…you bought it for me…so it’s mine…” Taemin said, with sobs every few words.

“Oh Taemin.” Wangho brought the boy’s face into his chest, letting him cry. “I’m so sorry.” They stayed like that until all the tears were cried out.

Wangho saw Taemin’s teacher from the corner of his eye, and she approached them. She whispered to Wangho “I found his jacket in the bin in the back.”

Wangho smiled and thanked her.

“I’m going to talk to Jinseong’s parents tomorrow ok? So don’t cry.” She patted Taemin’s head. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

They both waved to the teacher, and Wangho turned his attention back to his son. “It’s really cold today. Please put on the jacket for now so you don’t get sick ok?”

Taemin shook his head and pushed the jacket away. “I dun wanna.” He said, looking at the piece of clothing with disdain.

Wangho reached for his hand. “I’m going to return the jacket, and get you another one, but please wear this for now.”

“No!” Taemin yelled, surprising Wangho. Seeing that his actions hurt his daddy, he hugged him and said “Please don’t be mad daddy.”

Wangho sniffed “I’m not mad Taemin. I just don’t want you to be cold.”

Taemin crawled into the zipper of his jacket. “I’m not cold daddy. You’re very warm.”

Wangho sighed and zipped up his jacket around his son, and then put his bag over his shoulder. Taemin tightened his hold around his neck. “Are you warm?” Wangho asked.

“Yes daddy! Very warm.”

Wangho let out a soft laugh, but his heart hurt thinking about how this was the first time their financial situation had caused his son to cry. The reality of their situation dawned on him. They rarely ate out, had almost no luxuries, and only bought used clothes.

Wangho was mad at himself. He was mad at how he couldn’t provide Taemin with cool, new toys or clothes. He felt so angry, guilty, and inadequate. He knew that the other kids around Taemin got new toys and clothes all the time. Taemin had to wear the same clothes until he either outgrew them, or they weren’t able to be worn anymore. For the first time, he wished he had accepted Dahee’s offer.

The situation with the boy was resolved the next day, but Wangho noticed that there were more glares and whispers from the other parents around him. He was hurt by it, but he could deal with anything as long as it meant that Taemin wasn’t going to be bullied anymore. If Taemin was ok, then he was ok.

A week passed, and as he was walking to the school from work to pick up Taemin, he noticed a group of women talking by the entrance of the schoolyard. He quickly walked past them and waited for Taemin.

One woman who he didn’t know approached him, while the others watched them. Wangho turned to face the woman and politely greeted her.

“I’ve been wondering. We’ve never seen anyone else picking up your son, where is his other parent?”

“I’m a single parent.” Wangho replied.

“Oh, I see.” She nodded, as if the information was expected. “Has the other parent passed away?”

Wangho frowned and said “I’m not really obligated to answer that question.” The woman gasped and said “How rude!” before returning to the group.

They started whispering loudly. “So much for trying to be friendly! We were right, he’s too ashamed to admit that they were abandoned by the other parent.”

“So pretty, he was probably a whore who didn’t protect himself.”

“I feel so much pity for his child, having to be raised in a household with no money.”

“Serves him right for what he did.”

Wangho could feel his blood boiling, but wouldn’t let himself react. He reminded himself that he could take it, as long as Taemin didn’t get any of the remarks said about him. As the children started walking out of the school, he saw Taemin wearing the new jacket that he had spent most of their savings on.

“Daddy! Look what we did in class today!” Taemin waved a piece of paper up at him.

Wangho took a look at it. “Oh? Is this our family picture?”

Taemin nodded and pulled down the hand that was holding the photo. “This is me, daddy, auntie and uncle!”

Wangho smiled at the stick figure drawing, temporarily forgetting about the comments he just endured. “You’re such a great artist Taemin.”

Taemin grinned proudly. “I’ll draw more for you!” Wangho nodded as they left the school.

Once they were home, they were going through their normal routine where he helped him with his homework before starting to prepare dinner.

“Wangho? Why don’t you take a nap? I can finish cooking and feed him.” His aunt offered, and he gratefully accepted. He had tried to keep it a secret from her, but she knew that he had recently taken a night shift job at a fast food restaurant. He would leave around midnight, before returning early in the morning to drop Taemin off at school. He would then go straight to work at Rox Diner, before bringing Taemin home. Then the day would just repeat. He was running on only a few hours of sleep per night.

It had been 2 weeks since he started this routine, and it was starting to wear on him. He was too tired to even hear the women gossiping about him, but he always put on a brave face for Taemin.

“Wanghoya!”

Wangho was shocked out of his thoughts as he accidentally overfilled a bowl of soup, with some hot liquid getting on his hand.

Kyungho ran up to him. “Run your hand under cold water.” He said with worry.

Wangho gave him a tired smile. “I’m fine, it’s no issue.”

Kyungho looked at him carefully. Lately…Wangho seemed even more tired than usual. “Have you been getting enough sleep? Are you sick?”

“I’m okay now, I just spaced out for a bit.” He forced out the lie, he was feeling very light headed.

Kyungho knew that he was lying, but there wasn’t anything he could do once Wangho insisted like this. He was so stubborn.

“Well…if you say so.”

* * *

Sanghyeok was packing up Shinhye’s clothes and belongings for her. It was the beginning of her third trimester, and she told him about her plan to stay in Busan for it. She had insisted that Sanghyeok stay in Seoul for work. Sanghyeok’s parents protested this, saying that they knew a very good doctor, but Shinhye got her way.

Sanghyeok was secretly looking forward to this reprieve, as he was getting very tired of her odd and frustrating requests. After packing a month’s worth of clothes, he brought the suitcases to their car, before starting on the drive with her to Busan.

“Do you have everything you need?”

“I think so. You packed everything on the list right?”

Sanghyeok nodded in reply.

“Good. That should be everything.” Shinhye smiled at her husband. “You’ll miss me a lot, right?”

Sanghyeok just grunted, a response he had developed when dealing with Shinhye.

“I’ll be fine, we’re both healthy and ready for the child. We know the due date, and if anything happens I’ll let you know right away.”

After dropping off his wife and her friend’s house, he gave her a kiss and drove off. He suddenly felt as if he had been released from imprisonment.

He unconsciously ended up back on the same road as the last time he had been in Busan when he saw Wangho. Again, it was right at the end of school hours.

Looking into the schoolyard, he saw a small familiar figure sitting by a tree. He recognized him as Wangho’s son. As the cars in front of him started to move, he once again pulled into a parking spot and got out of the car. He walked over to Taemin.

“Hello.”

Taemin looked up at him, not really recognizing who he was.

“Do you remember me?” Sanghyeok asked, but Taemin didn’t respond. “We met when I was with your daddy, Wangho, in your home.”

Taemin widened his eyes before frowning. He pouted and turned away. “I don’t like you.”

Surprised by his bluntness, Sanghyeok asked him “Why is that?” as he kneeled down.

Taemin huffed and crossed his arms. “You’re bad. You made daddy cry.”

Sanghyeok felt a chill. “I…did?” Taemin nodded. “I didn’t know.”

Taemin didn’t say anything to reply. He got up from the tree, and walked down to the school gate, waiting patiently. He shivered a little bit.

A teacher came up to Taemin, and asked if he wanted to wait in the classroom for Wangho, but he refused. The teacher was struggling to decide if they should wait in the classroom, or stay out here, but she couldn’t leave him alone.

“I can wait with him.” Sanghyeok walked up and offered.

The teacher turned around surprised, looking at Sanghyeok. She looked back and forth between Taemin and Sanghyeok. “Taemin really looks like you.”

As he heard this sentence, he felt something unlock inside of him.

“I do not!” Taemin protested. “I look like daddy, not him.”

The teacher smiled at him, “Yes, yes, of course.” She turned to face Sanghyeok “I’ll trust you with him then.”

Sanghyeok nodded understandingly. He stood beside Taemin, not saying anything. The boy was obviously pretending that he wasn’t there. He watched as Taemin enviously eyed a different family entering a car.

“Is something wrong?” he asked him.

Taemin looked away and mumbled something incoherent.

“Do you…want to go into my car to wait for your daddy?” Sanghyeok’s face was getting cold, so he figured Taemin must be as well.

Taemin looked up curiously. “Really?”

Sanghyeok nodded.

Taemin held himself back. “But…daddy told me not to go into any stranger's car.”

Sanghyeok smiled at him. “But I’m not a stranger, we’ve met before.”

Taemin thought about this reasoning. It was true after all… Ultimately, the allure of entering a car for the first time made him forget how he didn’t like Sanghyeok.

“Can I see daddy from inside?”

“Of course.”

Taemin nodded at him, and he led him down the street to where his car was parked.

“Wow! The chair is so warm!” Taemin said as he bounced in the passenger seat.

“Have you ever been inside a car?”

Taemin shook his head. “Daddy said that we don’t have money for one, and that walking is good for the body anyway.”

Sanghyeok felt a strange sadness upon hearing that. He wondered how Wangho had been getting by, raising a child was not easy, mentally or financially. He wondered how Wangho did it.

“What’s your name?”

“Taemin!” Taemin said with a toothy smile.

“Taemin, I’m Sanghyeok. Nice to meet you.” Sanghyeok introduced himself. “Where is your other parent?” He carefully asked. He didn’t want to pry into Wangho’s life, he tried to remind himself that he had to prepare for his future, and that he had no business in his life, but his curiosity got the better of him.

“You mean my daddy?” Taemin asked confused.

“Not exactly, you see how other kids have 2 parents?”

“Oh! Daddy is both, he picks me up like the mommies, and cooks me delicious food! He’s the best!”

_ ‘So there wasn’t ever a second parent in his life?’ _ Sanghyeok thought.

“Oh! There’s daddy! I see him!” Taemin yelled from inside the car. Sanghyeok looked up to see Wangho running to the school. Taemin opened the door and ran towards him.

Wangho heard Taemin call his name, and was confused that his son was running at him from the opposite direction. He looked in the direction and froze when he saw Sanghyeok. “Why were you with him?” he asked coldly, but Taemin didn’t pick it up.

“Mister said that I could wait in the car for daddy! It was so warm.” The expression on his face as he happily chattered showed that he hadn’t noticed the shock and unpleasantness on his daddy’s face.

Wangho took a deep breath. He didn’t want his disdain for Sanghyeok’s presence to affect his son negatively, so he put on a fake smile and picked him up. “Really?”

Sanghyeok tried to take a step towards them, but Wangho looked away and took a step back.

“Please.” Sanghyeok shouted. “Just one minute.” He let out a sigh. “I will leave right after.”

Wangho thought about this, and he sent Taemin off to tell the teacher that he was here.

After Taemin ran off, he turned around to face Sanghyeok, no smile on his face. “You have exactly one minute, not a second more.”

“Who is Taemin’s other parent?”

Wangho frowned, and just started in silence.

“The teacher mentioned that he looked like m..” Sanghyeok trailed off.

“No! He doesn’t.” Wangho said coldly. “He’s my son, and none of your business. So please get away from us.” He wasn’t able to hide his anger in his voice. All kids have similar features, you just happen to have one as well. It’s not uncommon. You would KNOW if you had a child.”

“You’re right, I wouldn’t understand.” Sanghyeok was getting frustrated at not getting the answers he wanted. “I’m not a father, so I don’t understand. But I do know one thing, I can feel a connection between him and I. I feel the connection every time I think about it, and every time I look at him. I hate the fact that I don’t know why I feel this way, no one will answer me.”

Wangho was taken aback by all Sanghyeok had to say. He forced a bitter smile and said “The moment I signed the divorce papers was the moment I stopped caring for you, let alone your feelings. I’ll repeat myself. Leave. Us. Alone.”

Sanghyeok felt like the weather had managed to get even colder as he fumbled over the truth in Wangho’s words.

At that moment, Taemin ran back and grabbed Wangho’s hand. “The teacher wanted to thank you! She said we can go home now.”

Wangho smiled at him. “Good job!” he said as he patted his head. “I’ll make you something delicious for dinner, ok?”

As they walked away, Taemin quickly looked back and gave a quick wave to Sanghyeok.

That night, Sanghyeok couldn’t sleep. His mind kept wandering back to the day he ended his marriage. He lay in silence, for a while, until suddenly a memory came back to him from that day.

He remembered his mother saying that Wangho had something to tell him.

The next morning, he drove over to his parent’s house instead of the office.

As he walked in, he waved down one of the attendants.

“Where is mother?”

“She’s in the garden.”

Sanghyeok nodded and headed straight there. Dahee was enjoying a morning tea.

Dahee was surprised to see her son looking like a mess. “Sanghyeok?”

“I have something to ask you.” He said stiffly.

Dahee nodded, and gestured for him to sit next to her. He walked over and took a seat. As Sanghyeok stayed silent, Dahee felt uneasy.

“The day that I ended my first marriage, you said that Wangho had something to tell me. What was it?”

All of the color drained from Dahee’s face, and her shaky hands put down the tea cup.

Watching her reaction, Sanghyeok felt goosebumps crawling all over him, and feelings of regret and horror growing in his stomach.

“W-why do you ask?” Dahee stuttered out.

“Please don’t answer my question with a question.”

Dahee didn’t respond, remaining silent.

“Mother…please. Please tell me.” Sanghyeok’s voice shook as he voiced this request.

Dahee shook her head. “It’s a secret that I promised to keep. I’m sorry, if you want to know then you’re going to have to ask Wangho yourself.

Sanghyeok cursed as he hit the bench with his fist. “He wouldn’t tell me anything.”

Dahee’s heart started beating faster. _ ‘Did he meet Taemin?’ _ “You saw Wangho?”

Sanghyeok intensely started up at her, before saying “Taemin…is my son, isn’t he?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The teacher leaving him was stretch for sure 😅but I couldn't think of any other way to make it happen. Hope you can forgive that.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Italics are used to indicated thoughts of the characters!

The silence from his mother confirmed his suspicion. He let out a scream, and buried his head in his hands as all the feelings of remorse, pain, frustration, and regret hit him all at once, and he started to cry.

His eyes were red, and his body was tired as he waited in his car later that day. He was parked on a street by Wangho’s house. A few minutes later, he saw the two of them walking home from school. Wangho looked so happy, as if there was nothing amiss in his life. Seeing this hurt his heart, he couldn’t even imagine how crushed he must have felt on that day, to find out about a divorce on the same day as he found out about his pregnancy.

Sanghyeok wanted to cry again. He didn’t have the courage to approach them, and after they entered their home, he drove off for Shinhye’s place. The sky turned dark as he waiting in his car for Shinhye and her friend to return.

Sanghyeok wasn’t sure what to do. From here, there were only two paths he could take. One would be to reveal to Wangho that he knew the secret, and try to make up for the years he missed in Taemin’s life. The other would be to leave them alone, and focus on getting ready for his child that is on the way. Sanghyeok frowned. He wanted to do both, but he knew that that wasn’t possible.

He slowly opened his eyes when he heard voices approaching from behind him. As he listened more carefully, his eyes opened wide, and he quickly turned around. He couldn’t make out all the words, but he had heard the word “adoption” spoken by Shinhye. He looked over at his wife.  _ ‘There’s no baby bump.’ _

Anger swelled inside him like fire set to oil. He got out of the car, and slammed the door closed, surprising Shinhye and her friend. The moment she saw him, all the color drained from her face.

“S-sanghyeok.” She stuttered out. A feeling of impending doom spread through her body. “I can explain.”

Sanghyeok wanted to walk away, but he didn’t want to make the same mistake. They walked into the kitchen and sat down at the table.

“You have 3 minutes before I run out of patience.”

Shinhye cried and cried. “Please forgive me! I’m really sorry Sanghyeok! I didn’t mean to do this. I couldn’t let you know that I’m sterile and can’t give you a child. I was afraid of you leaving me. I’m really sorry.”

Sanghyeok shut his eyes.

“We’ve been having a lot of problems in our marriage recently, and I know that you don’t love me as much as you used to. I couldn’t live with that. I wanted you to love me as much as when we first met.” Shinhye reached for his hand, holding it tight. “Please don’t leave me.”

“I’m disappointed.” Sanghyeok said cold, shaking his head. He pulled his hand away from Shinhye, “I can’t believe that you thought I would be enough of a fool to be deceived.”

“I never thought that about you! I did it because I thought this would be best for us. I did it for our relationship!”

“No. You did this for you. I had never thought about a divorce, but now, I can’t help but think that’s the only path for us.”

Shinhye’s eyes widened in shock. She felt her heart stop beating.

* * *

Working both of his jobs was _really_ starting to take its toll. Wangho swore that he had blacked out on the way to the diner, but somehow made it. His body felt heavy, his feet were dragging on the ground. An hour into his shift, he started sweating. His body suddenly felt light as a feather. He struggled to keep his feet on the ground.

He heard the chime, indicating that they had new customers. Wangho started to assemble the complimentary dishes from the back.

“Please enjoy and take your time. When you’re ready to order, just wave me over.” Wangho smiled his heart shaped smile at the customer before turning away. He was so tired that he didn’t even realize that the customer he had just served was Sanghyeok.

Sanghyeok had a feeling that Wangho wasn’t feeling well from his pale face and lethargic posture… Not to mention how he didn’t react at all to serving Sanghyeok. He kept a close eye on him.

Wangho wandered over to the kitchen entrance before his legs gave out, and he crashed onto the floor.

“Wanghoya!” Upon hearing the name of his ex-husband, Sanghyeok immediately got up and ran over to the commotion to find him passed out on the floor.

Sanghyeok pushed through the workers who had gathered and put his hand on Wangho’s forehead. It was hot, extremely warm. “Wangho” he called as he tried to shake him away, but he only let out a groan. His body was covered in sweat, and hot.

Sanghyeok called for an ambulance, and then drove over to the hospital. At the hospital, he greeting the receptionist and asked him “Sir, what is your relationship with him”

“…I’m his family.”

The receptionist cautiously nodded before letting him know his room number.

Once in the room, the doctor informed him that Wangho had collapsed from overworking, lack of sleep, and was slightly malnourished. He was still unconscious in the hospital bed with IV fluid running through him. As the doctor left, Sanghyeok sat by his bedside not sure what to say first. Should he ask for forgiveness and let him know that he knew Taemin was his son?

Still in deep thought, he didn’t notice Wangho beginning to stir.

His head hurt. ‘Where am I?’ His eyes moved around the room. White walls, and a person sitting on his right. He blinked a few times trying to focus his vision. His eyes flew wide open once he saw who it was. “Sanghyeok?”

Hearing his name made him flinch before turning to see Wangho awake. “Ah, Wangho.”

Both of them started at each other. 15 seconds passed in complete silence before Sanghyeok asked “Are you…are you alright?” Sanghyeok diverted his gaze. It was suddenly difficult to hold Wangho’s gaze without feeling ashamed of himself and guilt.

“What are you doing here?”

Sanghyeok figured Wangho wouldn’t answer any of the questions he had, so he just said “I’ll go get the nurse.”

While the nurses tended to Wangho, and the doctor was prescribing him some medication, he waited outside in the hall.

“Ah, you’re related to him right?” The doctor asked as he left the room. Sanghyeok slowly nodded. “Do you happen to know his medical insurance information?” Sanghyeok bit his lip, he was sure that Wangho didn’t have any insurance for himself.

“I’ll take care of the bill in full.” The doctor was a bit taken aback, “Ah, okay. He is fine now, we will start the discharge paperwork. She will bring it over for you.” He said gesturing to a nurse.

The nurse handed him a clipboard. “We will need you to write down your address and contact information, and..” she explained to him all the information they would need.

Once it was all done, he hesitantly walked back into Wangho’s room to see the other had just finished changing back into his clothes.

Wangho didn’t respond, just turned and gave him an uninterested look. Right then, the nurse in charge of the discharge came back into the room. “Now, how are you getting home?”

“I’m driving him.”

Wangho scoffed. “I’ll walk.”

The nurse frowned in disapproval. “You’ve just recovered from overexertion, and the weather outside is bad. We can’t let you go home on foot. What if you collapse again?”

“I feel fine, I won’t have an-“

Sanghyeok did something unexpected. He grabbed Wangho’s hand and pulled the other to his side. “You shouldn’t give the nurse a difficult time.”

Wangho found himself staring into Sanghyeok’s eyes, and fought back the blush that was creeping onto his cheeks. Their physical closeness plus what he had just said was the most affectionate thing Sanghyeok had ever said to him. He could feel his old feelings resurfacing.

Wangho slowly nodded, conceding to the plan to be driven home.

The nurse nodded. “You may leave then. The bill will be sent to the address we have on file at a later date.”

Wangho flinched as he heard this. He wasn’t sure how he was going to be able to pay for this. Why did he have to pass out?

Sanghyeok started to lead him out of the hospital. Once they reached the lobby, Wangho realized what was happening and tried to pull his hand away. However, Sanghyeok didn’t let go, and only held on tighter.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Wangho hissed at him, still trying to free his hand. He used his other hand to try and pry Sanghyeok’s hand away, but he didn’t have the strength. “Let go of me.” He whispered, not wanting to make a scene.

“I can’t.” Sanghyeok mumbled.

“Why?”

“You’re going to run away again.”

Wangho whispered as they walked out of the hospital. “I told you last time, and every single time to leave me alone.” Punctuating the last three words forcefully, but they fell on deaf ears.

As they approached Sanghyeok’s car, Wangho yanked harder. “I’m serious, let me go!”

This time, Sanghyeok did. Wangho stumbled back a bit from his own force. He felt his body swaying a bit, before Sanghyok’s arm grabbed his shoulders to stabilize him.

“I’m not going to talk. I just want to take you home safely.” Sanghyeok said it with such a genuine and gentle tone that Wangho was left stunned.  “Is that okay?”

Wangho was confused,  _ so _ confused at Sanghyeok’s behavior. This man had never been kind or caring towards him. He had never asked him for permission. He could only nod at his pleading expression, which brought up Sanghyeok’s mood.

Sanghyeok kept true to his promise, and didn’t say a single word on the 20 minute ride back. He had expected Wangho to fall asleep on the ride, remembering how he did even on the 5 minute drive back then to the grocery store. However, Wangho didn’t let himself, and stared ahead the entire time, despite his lack of sleep.

Once they got to his home, he muttered a quiet thanks and left without looking back. Sanghyeok could see Taemin run up to his daddy as he walked in, enveloping each other in a hug.

Sanghyeok imagined himself being a part of that family. He had never wanted anything more. Maybe…he should start respecting Wangho’s words if he wanted to gain acceptance, but then if he did, he would never see him again.

His thoughts were interrupted by snow starting to fall, collecting on the windshield of the car. His eyes drifted to the window of Wangho’s home, and caught Wangho looking at him from inside.

* * *

The next day, Shinhye returned to their home. Sanghyeok hadn’t expected to see her in the kitchen when he came down after his shower. She had made a hot coffee for him.

While he gave her points for trying, he couldn’t help but shake his head. He walked right past her and got a glass of water.

“If you ever really cared about me, you might have known that I don’t like coffee.”

His words struck her right in the heart, because he was right. When they were still happily together, she hadn’t cared for anyone but herself, her career. Sanghyeok had always been there for her unconditionally, but now that had all been reversed.

He left for work without his morning tea. He didn’t even want to be in the same vicinity as her. He couldn’t recall exactly when he started falling out of love with her, but he knew for sure it wasn’t when he saw Wangho again. Wangho had just made him realize who his feelings for her had changed, and faded day by day.

A few days later, Sanghyeok desperately wanted to see Wangho and Taemin. He couldn’t concentrate at work, he thought that he would go crazy. After work, he drove to Busan. It didn’t matter to him that it was almost 10pm when he got there.

Wangho’s home was lowly lit. Every room was dark except for the living room, and a bedroom. It was too late for him to bother them, as if he even had the courage to go up to them. However, he did get a sense of serenity just knowing that Wangho and Taemin were safe and happy.

Right around midnight, Sanghyeok was prepared to find a hotel for the night, when he saw one of the lights turn on from the home. After a few more minutes, he saw the door open, and Wangho stepped out in a big jacket.

At first, Sanghyeok had thought that he had been noticed and Wangho was just going to tell him off again, but Wangho walked right by him.

_ ' _ _ Where is he going in the middle of the night?’ _ Sanghyeok watched as Wangho got to a bus stop. Once the bus came, he slowly followed it in his car. A 10 minute ride later, he saw Wangho get off and enter a fast food restaurant. 20 minutes passed, and when Wangho didn’t exit, Sanghyeok realized what was going on.

_ ‘He’s working the night shift? …on top of his day job?’ _ Sanghyeok was flabbergasted.  _ ‘No wonder he collapsed! Is this how you’ve been living? Working 2 jobs on top of being a full time father?’  _ He felt immense guilt for letting this happen.

Sanghyeok ended up falling asleep in his car, and woke up as the sun rose. Soon after, Wangho walked out of the restaurant. He started his car and drove up to Wangho.

Wangho was startled. His mind froze at seeing Sanghyeok again so soon, and so early in the morning as well.

Sanghyeok got out of the car, and walked over to the passenger side. “Will you let me take you home?” There it was, he was asking for his permission again.

Wangho glared and sighed heavily, obviously unhappy but not sure how to react. After a bit, he decided to ignore Sanghyeok and sidestepped to get out of the way. Sanghyeok grabbed his elbow again “I won’t say a thing.”

Sanghyeok gently, but insistently got Wangho into the passenger seat, and closed the door.

Wangho was adamantly displaying his unwelcome-ness, but Sanghyeok still felt satisfied that they were sitting together in the car again. Wangho had even dozed off for a minute before he shook himself awake. Once they got to his home, Wangho got off without a single word or glance. Sanghyeok didn’t complain, he was feeling good, happy even that Wangho allowed him to be nearby.

Sanghyeok drove home to shower and grab a change of clothes. The dark aura of the home instantly dropped his mood. Shinhye was waiting for him in the living room. She had waited all night for Sanghyeok to come home. She had called everyone, but no one knew his whereabouts.

“Where did you go last night?” she asked, trying not to sound desperate or frustrated.

“My parent’s home.” He replied uninterested. “I called them and Dahee told me that you weren’t there.” Sanghyeok just shrugged and jumped into the shower.

While he was in the shower, Shinhye went to investigate his car. Given the distance he had driven…there was no way he had just been to his parent’s place.

When Sanghyeok got out of the shower, she confronted him again. “Since when did your parent’s move a few hundred kilometers away?”

Sanghyeok just shrugged and said, “I went to Busan.”

Shinhye gasped, and looked shocked. The look on her face satisfied him. “Why did you go there?” He ignored her and finished getting ready before heading to work. She grabbed his arm. “Let’s have dinner at home today.”

Sanghyeok just pulled his arm away and left the house.

Shinhye was  _ furious _ . She wondered if he really had went to see his ex-husband. Her mind quickly started thinking of ways to deal with Wangho in that case.  _ ‘That  _ **_bitch_ ** _ is stealing my man.’ _


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Italics indicate thoughts of the characters!

“Will Uncle Beomhyeon and Jongin come as well?”

Wangho squeezed his son’s hands. They were on their way to school. “Of course they will.”

“For New Years as well?”

“Yup! I’ll even let you stay up the whole night so you can count down the new year.”

“Are you serious daddy?!” Taemin squealed. He jumped up and down in glee. After dropping Taemin off at school, Wangho headed to work at Rox Diner.

It was a cheery day at Rox Diner. Kyungho’s younger brother had returned after spending the semester in school, and everything was going well until Shinhye came in. She had a murderous look in her eyes and demanded to see Wangho.

“You are the worst, you know that? Trying to steal Sanghyeok from me, such a  _ whore _ you are.”

Wangho frowned upon hearing the insult. “If you are just here to insult me, then your presence is not welcome here. Please leave.”

This response made her blood boil, she swung her hand, and almost connected with Wangho’s face when Kyungho caught her hand.

“We have a zero tolerance for violence.” His voice warned. “Please leave or we will take disciplinary action against you.”

Shinhye glared at him before pulling her hand away. She smirked, and said “Got him in your bed too I see, just how many men do you have in there?”

Wangho bit his lips in anger, eyes flaring.

Kyungho grabbed her arm and led her outside of the restaurant. As she was being led out, she screamed “You bitch! Husband stealing bitch! Such a little faggot, keeping him outside of your home is your goal now?!”

Wangho balled his fists with rage.  _ ‘I didn’t steal anyone’s husband’  _ He repeated to himself.

After that embarrassing scene, Kyungho told him to take the rest of the day off. He walked to a nearby park and thought about what had happened.

The incident stuck with him. Was Taemin and him the reason the couple was having trouble? He remembered Sanghyeok driving him home this morning. Since Shinhye had gone out of her way to come all the way to Busan, Sanghyeok must not have gone home last night. Was Sanghyeok waiting all night? Did…did he find out about Taemin?

He needed answers. Sighing, he decided to go home. Might as well go and get some rest.

Later that night, as he was getting ready to go to work, he found Sanghyeok leaning against his car again in front of his house.

Seeing him reminded him of the incident with Shinhye that he had been trying hard to forget. Being called a homewrecker…it was so ironic. If it wasn’t for her then…then what?

Wangho walked right up to Sanghyeok instead of ignoring him like usual.

“What are you doing here?” He had to make this quick so he could still make it to work on time.

“I’d like to take you to work.” Sanghyeok simply replied. Unfortunately for him, that probably wasn’t the answer Wangho wanted judging by the look on his face.

“That’s not what I mean Sanghyek. What are you  _ really _ doing here?” Wang spat out. “You have a home, and a marriage, so what  _ exactly _ are you doing here in the middle of the night?”

“I’m really just here to take you to work, and then take you home?” Sanghyeok tried to explain earnestly, which just frustrated Wangho even more.

“Are you having a fight with your wife?” Sanghyeok’s eyes widened, and looked away.

“If you guys are having problems, then you should go home and work it out with her. Stop coming here to bother me and run away. I’m not your friend who listens to your problems.”

“I’m not running away…” Sanghyeok protested softly.

“Then what are you doing if you’re not running away?” Wangho let out a sigh. “You have no reason and no need to see me. And don’t you dare say you just want to take me to work.”

“Actually, I do need to see you.”

Wangho paused.

“I…I…” Why was this so hard? This must be the most difficult thing Sanghyeok has ever had to say in his entire life. “I miss you Wangho…” he said as a blush slowly crept onto his cheeks.

Wangho happiness bubble inside of him, but he pushed those feelings away. He couldn’t forgive Sanghyeok after what he had done, this was just happening because of a fight with his wife. He let out a sarcastic laugh. “Miss me? Who are you trying to fool Sanghyeok? You’re a  _ horrible _ liar, do you know that?”

Sanghyeok blinked back at him, feeling upset that he had lost so much of Wangho’s trust. He didn’t think what he was saying was so extreme. “I’m not lying.”

“Really now?” Wangho said sarcastically. “You never felt like this before. I can’t remember a single moment where you actually cared about me and our marriage. It doesn’t really make  _ sense _ for you to miss me now does it Sanghyeok?”

Wangho’s sincere emotions hurt him. “It doesn’t, but…but it doesn’t mean it’s not true.” Sanghyeok said, growing frustrated. "I don't even know why I'm like this, okay? Every time I get home, I see you standing there with a smile. Every time I go into the kitchen, I see you cooking food. Every time I wake up, I see a cup of hot tea on the table ready for me! I hated it! Every time I'm home, you're there, but you're not there. And it makes me angry."

Wangho felt the impact from Sanghyeok’s outburst, but it made him angry. It made it sound like it had been his fault. “Is that supposed to be my fault?!”

“No! It’s not. It’s not your fault, and it’s never been your fault. I…” Sanghyeok trailed off, finding it hard to speak without a trembling voice. He took a deep breath and gathered himself. “You make me confused.”

Wangho laughed out in disbelief. “I make  _ you _ confused? How am I making you confused when I haven’t done anything?” Wangho glared at him. “Go home, we are just arguing about the past that  _ shouldn’t _ be resurfacing. You decided which path you wanted to go down, don’t turn back now.”

Wangho could see the hurt in Sanghyeok’s eyes.

“I’m going to be late for work now. Don’t come here anymore, and go home to her. She’s waiting for you.” Wangho threw in the last sentence as an afterthought as he walked off.

Despite this, Sanghyeok came every day, usually falling asleep in the car, before returning to his parent’s home in the morning.

* * *

It was now early December, and Taemin wanted to shop for Christmas decorations. Taemin carefully looked at all the decorations, trying to decide which new ornament to get for their tree.

“Oh! Daddy look!” Taemin pointed to assorted cartoon figurines that stood on a platform with names carved on the front side. “Can we get one for everybody?”

Wangho could tell Taemin really wanted them, so he nodded. He placed the order, and paid the installment.

“I hope we can get them soon! Auntie and Uncle are really gonna like them!” Taemin grinned up cheekily.

“I think so too. Now that we took care of decorations for the tree, how about we go gift shopping for everyone too?”

“That’s a good idea!”

They entered an accessory shop. Hats, scarves, jewelry, and much more lined the walls. “Uncle’s hat is bad, I saw a hole. We should get him a new one.”

Wangho nodded and agreed. “Which one do you think he’d like?”

Taemin’s focused face as he browsed each hat had Wangho letting out a few giggles at the sight. Eventually, he settled on a gray one. “This one!”

“Wow! You’re such a great picker Taemin.”

Wangho went to pay for the hat. Taemin’s eyes saw a soft, white scarf that was sitting on the counter. He checked to make sure that his daddy wasn’t looking, and he quickly moved that scarf to the bottom. After walking out of the store, Taemin pulled his daddy down and whispered into his ear “Daddy, can I have 10,000 won?”

Wangho raised a curious brow at his son. “What do you need it for?”

“It’s a secret.”

“Alright.” Wangho smiled at his son and grabbed the bill from his wallet. “Can I come with you?”

“No!” Taemin shouted. “Daddy wait here, I’ll be fast.”

Wangho pretended to be hurt and pouted. He felt hands cup his face. “Don’t be sad daddy. I won’t be away long. I’ll always come back to you.”  Wangho didn’t reply, and let Taemin go into the store.  _ ‘Where does he get that chivalrous attitude from? _ **_’_ ** Wangho laughed to himself.

Wangho didn’t ask what was in the bag that Taemin tried to hide from him on the way back home.

* * *

Shinhye was annoyed. She had been alone in their house for an entire week, as Sanghyeok had been staying at his parent’s home. She didn’t want to go over there, as she knew she shouldn’t be welcome. She tried calling him, but Sanghyeok sent her to voicemail every time. Sanghyeok had been avoiding and ignoring her.

“Mother, when is Taemin’s birthday?”

Dahee paused from the soup she had been drinking. This question arose during lunch time.

Both of his parents were aware of his current situation with Shinhye and Wangho, but they hadn’t done or said anything about it. At the end of the day, they wanted Sanghyeok to make the decision for himself and live with it. They just hoped that they had raised him and prepared him for this. They would support him no matter what.

“It was in early July. I remember rushing to the hospital to see the birth. He was so small, they didn’t think he would survive at all.”

As his mother showed him some photos of the day, Sanghyeok wished he had been there. He could only blame himself. He saw a photo of Wangho and Taemin soon after birth. Wangho looked so happy.

“Have you gone to see Wangho?”

“It seems…that I’m not welcome.”

Dahee had a sad smile on her face. She couldn’t blame Wangho at all, it was her son who abandoned him. She hadn’t even seen him in the last few years because she felt so much shame.

Breaking the silence, Hojun decided to say “The broadcast mentioned that there’d be a snow storm tomorrow in Busan.”

Sanghyeok understood what his father was trying to say with that message.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bit of a short chapter today...but a lot will be be going down in the next part 😉


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Italics are for thoughts of the characters!

“Wangho…why don’t you quit your second job? You’re getting even skinnier, and you look so tired. It’s barely healthy. I don’t think it’s a good idea.” His auntie asked him while he was making breakfast. He had just gotten home around 20 minutes ago.

“I’m okay auntie.” Wangho gave her a reassuring smile. “It’s not a difficult or heavy job.”

His aunt frowned, and walked over to sit down at the table. “Do you need money?”

Wangho shook his head. “Not at the moment. I’m just trying to save up for Taemin little by little. He’s growing up, and he’s going to need more than what I can provide for him right now. And it’s easy money auntie! All I have to do is basically stay awake and smile.”

Wangho was so stubborn sometimes. She wished he would let her help him out more, but he insisted on paying for all of his and Taemin’s expenses. He insisted that he couldn’t ask for more than a place to stay.

“Well…if you insist.”

The wind was harsh. The moment they walked out of the door, Taemin immediately latched himself onto Wangho’s leg. “It almost blew me away!”

Wangho couldn’t help but laugh at the comical horror-stricken face of his son.

“Let’s stay home daddy!” Taemin suggested.

Wangho gave him a disapproving frown. “We can still make it to school. Come on, I’ll carry you.”

Taemin pouted, but he let his daddy pick him up. “I’m cold.”

Wangho smiled and put Taemin’s head on his shoulder. “I know baby, I’m going to get us there fast.”

Taemin nodded and wrapped his arms around his daddy’s neck. Wangho ran as quickly as he could to the school.

“If the teacher lets you go out to play today, don’t go outside. Just stay in the classroom okay?” Wangho reminded his son.

Taemin nodded. He reached for daddy’s hand. “Can we have beef for dinner?”

Beef was not cheap, and they didn’t have much left in reserve, but he nodded because Taemin very rarely asked for anything. “I’ll go buy us some for tonight. Be good in school.”

The bright smile Taemin gave him was what fueled him to go through the day.

The wind had only gotten worse from the morning, as Wangho walked to go pick up Taemin. A storm was coming for sure.

Most people were waiting inside of their cars for the kids to be dismissed. Very few people were in the schoolyard. Wangho shivered, it felt like the wind was going right through his jacket. His wasn’t a particularly high quality jacket, so it was no match for the windy weather.

Another few gusts blew by, and Wangho swore that the wind had reached his bones. Thankfully, at that moment the kids were dismissed.

From the corner of his eye, he saw the group of women who seemed to take a lot of joy from acting spiteful towards him.

“You must be freezing.” One of the mocked. “Running here, and then standing in this weather.”

Wangho ignored it, he knew they were making fun of his lack of money. It wasn’t entirely true, he was just a frugal and smart spender.

Don’t you think you should find a father who can drive your son around? Making him walk in this harsh weather, it’s quite cruel of you.”

Wangho bit his lips to prevent him from shooting back a snarky reply. They couldn’t tell him what to do.

“Poor child, he’d be convicted for child negligence in the States.”

That was the straw that broke the camel’s back. “What do you know about how I raise my child? Just because I’m a single parent, you feel like it’s your responsibility to insult me?”

Truthfully, the women were jealous of how Wangho attracted the attention of all the men around. That’s why they always bad-mouthed him.

“Being a single parent must be fun. You get to play around with men, single and married!”

Wangho was seething. “I do no such thing.”

“You know what my daughter told me? His son doesn’t even know what a second parent is. He must be hiding his shameful acts from his son.”

“Being born out of wedlock, how he has to endure his daddy’s sins too?”

“…Shut up.” Wangho muttered. He didn’t want to deal with these women and their attitudes anymore.

“Look at him in denial! People like him really do deserve to be abandoned by his son’s other parent.”

Wangho was seething as he tried to hold in his rage. He thought about Taemin and calmed himself down. They weren’t wrong after all, he was abandoned.

I’m surprised your husbands have yet to divorce all of you.” Wangho said calmly. “Your children must be so proud of you for ridiculing others! You’re setting great examples for them.”

“What did you say?!” The women gasped.

Wangho ignored them, turning to face his son as he ran to him.

“Daddy! Hurry, let's go home!”

Wangho smiled at him and nodded before they ran off together.

Waiting right outside of the schoolyard, was Sanghyeok. He had been glaring at the women, and Wangho stood there, frozen.

Sanghyeok turned to face him, reaching for his hand. “Come, let’s get you and Taemin out of the cold.

Wangho thought it over, but decided to do it for Taemin. Taemin sat in his lap on the ride home.

Once they were there, Wangho tried to exit quickly, but Sanghyeok grabbed his hand and asked. “Can we talk for a sec, please?”

Wangho sighed and handed a few bags to Taemin. “Taemin, bring these into the kitchen okay? I’ll be in there shortly. If you’re hungry, there’s a few bananas on the counter.” Wangho said as he carried Taemin to the front door.

Taemin looked back and forth at his daddy and the man before giving Sanghyeok a nasty look and running inside.

Turning back to Sanghyeok, he asked him “Did you have to do that in front of my son?” He was unhappy that Sanghyeok was there  _ again _ . The man knew what he was doing,

“He’s my son too.” Sanghyeok said quietly, stepping onto the porch.

Wangho flinched, he felt his chest tightening.  _ ‘So he did find out. That must have been why he’s been so nice.’ _ Tears started forming in his eyes, he tried to argue. “He’s your son as much as you are my husband.”

Sanghyeok hated how he just didn’t know what to say to Wangho. He wanted to talk to him so much, but his brain was blanking out.

Wangho started sobbing. “Why are you doing this Sanghyeok? My son and I are doing well on our own. If you think that we need your support, then you thought wrong, we don’t need you!  Wangho shouted the last part desperately. “Please…please don’t take him from me…he’s all I have.”

Sanghyek was taken aback, he had no intention of taking Taemin from him. “I’m not trying to take him from you.”

“You’re not?” Wangho sniffed. “Then why are you being like this?”

“Being like what?” He was so frustrated that he couldn’t think straight.

“This! What do you  _ want _ from us?”

“…I want us to…be a family.”

Wangho stared at him as if he just said that he wasn’t from this planet before letting out an incredulous laugh. After laughing for a short while, he realized that it was a serious request, and his face became somber.

“A family? You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“I’m not.”

“Sanghyeok, you already have a family.  _ If  _ you don’t remember, allow me to remind you. You’re married to a Korean American model named Shinhye Lee. She’s your family now. The man standing in front of you…he-“ Wangho took a deep breath. “He was once a part of your family that you never acknowledged, so he became a part of your past that you should just bury and forget.”

Sanghyeok shook his head. “That’s not true. I never stopped thinking about you. You’re still my present and will be my future.”

Wangho scoffed. “You’re the most ridiculous person I’ve ever met. Don’t talk about your future with me.” He snapped bitterly. “Besides, you’re still married. You still have Shinhye. Don’t be greedy, a person can only have so much.”

“If she’s what you’re worried about, we will get a divorce.”

“What?!” Wangho’s mouth was open in shock, and he was not happy.

Sanghyeok felt that he must have said something wrong because of the outrageous look on Wangho’s face.

“Divorce?” Wangho asked slowly, his voice dripping with poison. “You’re exactly the same person as you were back then, talking about divorce like it’s nothing! You think marriage is a game don’t you?!” Wangho could feel the tears forming again, and he shut his eyes. “Marriage is supposed to be sacred, and  _ eternal _ . When you marry someone, you commit to be with them forever.” Wangho started sobbing.

“No. No!” Sanghyeok said, shaking his head. “That’s not how I meant it!”

“You are so ridiculous! I don’t know why I’m even wasting my team talking to an overgrown child like you who doesn’t take love seriously.” Wangho tried to wipe most of his tears away, and he turned to get into the house.

“Wait!” Sanghyeok moved to block the entrance. “I am serious, I’m not treating it like a game.” He grabbed Wangho’s hand and held it. “Please give me a chance to prove it to you.”

Wangho shook his head and pulled his hand away. “Did you know that Shinhye came by?”

Sanghyeok stiffened.

Wangho continued calmly. “She came by, and do you know what she said to me?”

Sanghyeok again stayed silent.

"She said that I'm stealing her husband." The tears started flowing again as he thought about how bad it hurt him to hear it from someone that stole his husband in the first place. "Why did it become like this? Almost 5 years raising Taemin by myself; I've never relied on anyone for help or support. Yet she looked at me like I'm a whore, eating money off rich men." He laughed sarcastically through the tears

“Maybe she was right? Maybe I did steal her husband after all. What did I do to deserve this treatment from you two? Tell me! Tell me what I did!”

“I’m sorry…” Sanghyeok started. He tried to reach out and comfort him, but was rejected.

“You and her are both the same, messing with me and trying to ruin my life like you’re just trying to relieve your boredom! If you had ever stopped to think about how I would feel…” his voice trailed off. He wasn’t crying anymore, he didn’t have any tears left.

“I didn’t know that she came to you.” He noted to himself that he would need to talk to her about that. “You know what she said isn’t true.”

“But do you Sanghyeok?” His red eyes only showed sadness and disappointment.

Sanghyeok looked at Wangho, and confidently said “I do.”

"No you don't!" Sanghyeok’s submissiveness was upsetting him. "You don't understand anything! You don't understand what's true and what's not! And you certainly don't understand why you keep coming here! Well,  _ I _ do. You come because you found out that I've been keeping the existence of your son away from you. You’ve come to take him away and fit him into your current family. Well I won’t let you! You’re a greedy man!”

“Is that what you think of me?!” Sanghyeok was trying to defend himself, and this accusation wasn’t true. He was frustrated that he was being misunderstood by Wangho. “You are my rightful spouse. You didn’t steal anybody.”

“Rightful spouse?” Wangho laughed bitterly. “It’s so funny hearing that from you. You know how ridiculous that is coming from you?”

“We both know that it’s true.”

“I don’t.” Wangho said with conviction. “And I never will.”

“You are not what I remembered. Do you hate me so much that you can’t forgive me?”

“…Is that what you want? Forgiveness?” Wangho lowered his voice and shook his head. In a soft voice he said “I’ve never held anything against you. There’s no forgiveness to give.”

This caught Sanghyeok off guard. “Then why are you upset?”

Wangho sighed. He felt like he was arguing with a toddler who refused to understand and just kept asking why. He was tired, and dizzy from yelling, but he had to put up a strong front in front of the man who had caused him so much heartache. He had to get this done and over with.

"You want to know why I'm upset!" He scoffed. "I'll tell you why. I'm upset because all these years, I had to work hard, taking on countless jobs to save up for my son to have a life that isn’t lacking anything despite how poor I am. While he was still a baby, I had to drag myself up every morning before sunrise to go to work, and was on my feet all day serving tables at restaurants with owners constantly breathing down my neck or wanting to get into my pants. I had to endure teasing for being a single parent and harassment from people's misconception that my child was born out of wedlock. And you know what Sanghyeok? They didn't know anything! I had Taemin before we were even divorced. Even if he only grew up with me, he wasn’t born out of wedlock. But that's not what everyone thinks when they see us. They see a whore with his bastard son, a creation from his dirty job. I suffered and endured everything, hoping every day would pass uneventfully. I fought to be with my son when they wouldn't let me bring him to work or feed him while working. I went from job to job. So many that I can’t count or recall all of them. On days when I didn't feel well, I had to make myself well. I earned everything with my sweat and tears. And then you showed up one day after 5 years, making all of my hard-work look like it was worth nothing. Taemin doesn't say it, but I know he’ll think about how nice it would be to ride in a car again. I know that he knows we can’t afford that kind of luxury. He keeps quiet about it, but I see the way he looks at other kids getting dropped off and picked up in cars. How do you think I feel about that? How do you think I should feel about you?!"

Sanghyeok felt a lump in his throat, and it didn’t let him utter a single word. It was suffocating, and his chest hurt just imagining the life Wangho had lived for the last 5 years.

“Why aren’t you saying anything?!” Wangho shouted. He managed to start crying again thinking about the harsh memories of his past. “Answer me!”

Wangho felt himself being pulled into Sanghyeok’s chest and held tightly. “Let go of me!” Wangho squirmed and fought, hitting him anywhere he could with his punches. “You’re heartless, and a cold-blooded jerk!” He tried to hit Sanghyeok as hard as he could, but all he received was silence, and the feeling of his arms tightening around him.

Sanghyeok had pulled the crying man into an embrace to try and comfort him. Seeing Wangho cry like this made him hurt all over, especially his heart. He wasn’t able to say anything because he knew he had no right to console him, but he still desperately wanted to.

Wangho’s arms grew weary, and eventually they dropped to his side. He allowed Sanghyeok to hold him as his sobs continued. He cried out all of life’s bitterness, and all the pent up frustration he had been keeping inside for all those years. Eventually, the sobs faded out. Wangho felt a strange warmth being in Sanghyeok’s arms, and it felt like it was rocking him to sleep. He didn’t want to pull away, so... he took advantage of the situation and still stayed in the embrace.

He didn’t know how long they stayed like that. The fact that Sanghyeok still hadn’t loosened his hold on him for even a second made him think that maybe…just maybe Sanghyeok did have feelings for him. He quickly steeled himself, remembering what Sanghyeok had done.

“I know that apologizing isn’t enough, but I’m really sorry that you had to go through all that horrible treatment and bullying because of me.” He rested his chin on top of Wangho’s head, whose face was still facing his chest. “Please give me another chance to love you.”

Wangho could feel anger starting to form again, and forced himself away. Before he could start yelling again, he heard the door open behind him. Taemin was looking at him concerned, with tears in his own eyes. His anger instantly melted away.

“Daddy? Please don’t cry anymore” he said as he ran into Wangho’s arms.

“Shh shh, it’s okay. I’m fine now, I won’t cry anymore okay?” he cooed as he rubbed circles onto his back.

“I heard you crying, I thought you were hurt.”

Wangho shook his head. “I’m not hurt at all. Come on, let’s go inside.”

Taemin nodded, feeling a bit reassured and held onto his daddy’s neck. His glared at Sanghyeok dis-affectionately.

Wangho paused for a second at the doorway, trying to decide what to do. He did a half turn, and quietly mumbled “do you want to come in?”

Sanghyeok instantly agreed. He heard Wangho and Taemin talking in the kitchen while he sat in the living room.

Wangho told Taemin to wait in the kitchen for him while he went to the bathroom, but as soon as his daddy was in the bathroom, he ran into the living room.

Sanghyeok looked up and was startled to see Taemin glaring at him. Usually, he was able to maintain a poker face, but Taemin was even better. He couldn’t tell which emotion was running through his head.

“Please stop making daddy cry.” He said in a quiet voice. “I don’t like seeing him cry, it makes me cry too.”

Sanghyeok’s eyes softened with guilt.

Taemin noticed his eyes moving to focus behind him, and he saw Wangho standing in the entrance, looking down at him.

“Come here, Taemin.”

The boys eyes widened. “I’m so sorry daddy! You told me to stay in the kitchen and I-“

“Shh.” Wangho knelt down in front of his son and pulled him into a hug, with one hand in his hair. “It’s okay. I’m sorry that I made you cry. From now on, I won’t cry anymore okay? I’ll always smile so that you can always smile too.”

Taemin nodded enthusiastically. “I like it when you smile, you look very nice when you smile. It makes me happy.”

Wangho had a huge smile on his face, (a real, genuine heart shaped one Sanghyeok would add) “Okay, let’s get you clean and fed okay?”

Taemin nodded and followed Wangho out of the room.

Watching the two of them, Sanghyeok felt a pain in his heart. He was happy to see so much affection shared between those two, but the strongest emotions he felt was jealousy and sadness at not being able to be a part of it.

Wangho drew the bath for Taemin before asking “Is it okay if we do beef tomorrow? Daddy is tired today, and just wants to cook something fast.”

Taemin nodded “Anything is okay daddy.” Wangho smiled and planted a kiss on his forehead. “Okay, I’m going to go start cooking now.”

He returned to the living room. Sanghyeok was in the same spot, except his eyes were closed, and his head was leaning on the couch.

Wangho stood in the doorway for a second, before clearing his throat to make his presence known.

“You’re back.”

Wangho nodded. He sat across from Sanghyeok. “My next job is in 7 hours…” he began. Sanghyeok desperately wanted to tell him to quit that job, but he couldn’t. He knew he had no right to give Wangho any orders. “I need to get to sleep soon…”

Sanghyeok didn’t need Wangho to spell it out for him. “I won’t keep you long. I really hope that we can start over after Shinhye and I are divorced. I also don’t want you to misunderstand my reasoning.” He took a deep breath before continuing. “I’m not doing it because of Taemin, I’m doing it because of you. I…I like you.” He saw Wangho stiffen at those words. “My marriage with Shinhye hasn’t been going well for a while now, especially with my mother. It put so much strain on our relationship whenever we got together, and it slowly affected our relationship. Don’t think for even a second that you’re the reason my current marriage is failing.”

Wangho didn’t say anything, and Sanghyeok continued.

“Shinhye had initially come to Busan after a big fight we had a few months ago. She called me and told me that she was pregnant.” Sanghyeok took a deep breath and continued. “So I came here to bring her home, that was the day I first saw you with Taemin. I didn’t know who he was at all, but I felt such an odd attraction that pulled me towards him. After that day, I had asked my parents about you two, but they didn’t tell me anything. My father advised me to work on my marriage with Shinhye and her current pregnancy. I took his advice, and didn’t seek you out at all during that time…and then I found out that Shinhye had lied to me about the pregnancy.”

Wangho tilted his head in confusion at those words. Sanghyeok thought he looked so adorable with that expression.  _ ‘How did I not notice when we were together?’ _

“She had faked her pregnancy, and it turns out that she’s sterile. Our relationship hadn’t gotten any better, so she wanted to salvage it by lying about it and hoping that I wouldn’t find out.”

“I’m sorry.” Wangho said quietly, letting out a heavy sigh. Now he understood why she had been so angry at him.

Sanghyeok looked at him and firmly said “It isn’t your fault. It didn’t work out for us. I’m staying at my parent’s home for now, it’s difficult to return to that home.”

Wangho nodded in agreement.

Sanghyeok continued “Anyway, I don’t want to keep you up. You must be tired, so I’m going now.” He stood up, and Wangho followed up to the door. As he was about to walk out the door, he turned and held Wangho’s hand. “Thank you for listening, and thank you for giving me a chance. Please get to work safely, and make sure you stay warm.”

Wangho didn’t do anything to respond other than nod. His concern was…touching.

Sanghyeok smiled at him, before he turned and left.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I tried my best, but I think the dialogue came out a bit awkward 😅Hope it's acceptable for you guys and it doesn't you all too much.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Italics are for characters thoughts!

The next day, Wangho found Sanghyeok waiting in the schoolyard when he went to pick up Taemin. They had awkwardly made some small talk, and Sanghyeok passed on a few messages from his parents. Waiting for his son with someone else made Wangho feel anxious. The women were no longer pestering him, but they were still chattering amongst themselves.

The storm from the night before had left enough snowfall that rose as high as Taemin’s knees. It was the last week of school before winter break.

Not long after, the kids were dismissed. Taemin ran out of the school with something in his hands. “Look what we made in class today daddy!” It was a Christmas tree made out of green and brown construction paper.

“Wow! It’s going to be the first year we have 2 Christmas trees in our house.” Wangho said as he picked it up. Wangho held the tree in one hand, and Taemin’s hand in the other. “Taemin, I want you to meet someone.” He gestured towards Sanghyeok. “This is Sanghyeok, he’s daddy’s…friend.”

Taemin looked up at the familiar man that had made him feel so many different emotions. He wondered if they were just getting a ride back home since the persistent uncle was there. However, soon after, they started walking down the road away from school grounds.

Sanghyeok had left his car by Wangho’s home before walking over to the school to meet up with them.

“Why is Sunghyeok walking?” Taemin asked out loud.

“It’s SA-nghyeok, baby.” Wangho corrected gently.

Taemin just grunted, not really minding that he pronounced it wrong.

“It’s because Taemin told me that walking is good for the body, so I’m just taking his advice.”

Taemin smiled and nodded. After walking a bit further, he tugged on Wangho’s hand. “Can you carry me?”

Of course, Wangho bent down to let Taemin climb onto him. Sanghyeok wanted to offer to carry him, but he figured Taemin wouldn’t want to be carried by someone who was still a stranger. Instead, he just offered to hold the tree, which Wangho gladly handed over after getting permission from Taemin.

Once they got home, Wangho got Taemin started on his homework with a snack. Wangho’s auntie quickly excused herself, still wary of Sanghyeok who had been waiting in the living room. Sanghyeok could feel her uneasiness, and he couldn’t blame her. He just hoped that he could earn her trust.

Wangho walked into the living room and sat down next to Sanghyeok. Wangho pulled down the sleeves of his shirt, and was fiddling with it. “Um…” he started. Sanghyeok looked up from his thoughts to face him. “Would you like to…stay for dinner tonight? I was gonna make beef for Taemin tonight, but I know it’s a long drive back to Seoul and I don’t wan-“ Sanghyeok cut him off by grabbing his hand. He leaned in a bit closer and said “I would love to.”

Wangho felt a blush creep onto his cheeks. “O-okay. I better start cooking then!” After taking a look in the fridge, he decided that they probably didn’t have quite enough food for 5 people, and decided to make a quick run to the grocery store.

Sanghyeok saw him getting ready to head out, and asked him where he was going.

“I’m running to the grocery store to pick up a few more things.” Wangho explained.

“I’ll go with you, I can give you a ride.” Sanghyeok said, getting up. He paused when he saw Wangho shake his head. “…if that’s alright with you.”

Truth be told, Wangho had shaken his head out of reflex more than anything, he still had to get used to this. “Actually, that would be very helpful.” Wangho nodded, with a shy smile.

They walked over to the car in silence, and Sanghyeok again opened the passenger side door for him. Wangho gave him the address to the grocery store, which Sanghyeok plugged into his phone for directions.

It was only a short drive away. Once he parked the car, Sanghyeok once again got out to open the door for Wangho. Once he did, he could only laugh at himself a bit. He hadn’t even noticed that Wangho had managed to doze off on the way.

Shaking his shoulder, Sanghyeok tried to wake him. “Wangho, we’re at the grocery store now.” Wangho groggily woke up, and they entered the grocery store.

It was a quick trip, Wangho knew the layout of the store well, and he only needed a few things. Sanghyeok had offered to pay for the groceries, but Wangho refused to let him.

On the drive back, Sanghyeok tried to start the conversation. “I remember how grandfather loved your cooking when he was still alive. Your cooking skills are no joke, have you ever thought of becoming a chef?”

Wangho smiled back at him, thankful for the compliment. “Most restaurants around here aren’t really hiring hands for the kitchen, and I can’t start my own restaurant. Even if I had the money for it, I wouldn’t want Taemin to spend so much time alone.”

Sanghyeok nodded understandingly. Once they were back at Wangho’s home, he offered to carry the grocery bags. Wangho agreed to give him half of them, and as he handed them over he noticed that Sanghyeok wasn’t wearing his wedding ring anymore.

Once inside, Wangho said “I’m going to get started on dinner now, do you want to help Taemin with his homework while waiting?”

As much as Sanghyeok wanted to do that, he said “Actually, I was hoping I could help you prepare dinner.”

Wangho stared back at him, dumbfounded.  _ ‘This Sanghyeok is really different.’ _

“Uhm…okay.” Wangho walked into the kitchen with Sanghyeok tailing behind him.

Once in the kitchen, Wangho had him wash his hands, and then asked him if he could cut the onions.

“Just cutting it right?” Sanghyeok wondered how hard it could be.

Wangho smiled and nodded back at him.

Sanghyeok picked up the onion and placed it on the cutting board. He was about to cut it straight down the middle when he heard Wangho giggle and stop him. He gave him a questioning look.

“You should cut off the top and bottom first, and then peel off the skin. Those parts aren’t edible.” Sanghyeok grunted in response, indicating that he understood.

After giving Sanghyeok the instructions, he turned around to finish washing the rest of the vegetables, and preparing the meat. After a while, he thought it was strange that he hadn’t heard many cutting noises. He turned around to see Sanghyeok comically observing the onion, rotating it slowly in his hand.

“Is…everything okay?” Sanghyeok flinched upon hearing these words. He turned his head to face Wangho and asked “how does one cut this?”

Wangho let out a sigh and took the onion from his hand. He used the knife to show how large of a cut to make. After explaining how to cut it to Sanghyeok, all he could do was say “Oh.”

He returned the knife and walked back over to the sink to finish preparing the meat. Not long after, he heard some sniffling. He gasped, and turned around quickly. “Don’t rub your eyes!”

His warning was just a little too late, Sanghyeok had already used the hand that had been holding the onion to rub his irritated eyes. Sanghyeok wasn’t one to cry easily, and he definitely didn’t expect a mere onion to make him tear so easily.

“I’m going to take off your glasses now, okay?” Sanghyeok nodded his permission. His vision was extremely poor without his glasses, and being without them outside of his home made him feel unsafe. However, as Wangho took them off and guided him to the sink, a safe feeling washed over him. Wangho helped him wash his eyes.

“Is that better?” Sanghyeok nodded, “It still stings a little bit, but it’s mostly better.”

Wangho let out a small chuckle. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have assumed that you knew that onions fumes are hard on the eyes. It’ll take a little bit for the sting to go away.”

Wangho led him to a seat at the table, and gently placed his glasses in his hands. “Just wait here, I’ll finish preparing dinner.”

Sanghyeok sighed at himself, disappointed in himself as he put his glasses back on. The sounds on the cutting board were hard and fast, nothing like the infrequent and cautious ones that were being made while he was cutting the onion. In only a few minutes, Wangho had prepared the ingredients.

Sanghyeok was incredibly impressed with his culinary skill. He looked over to the stove, and noticed that there was a pot of water boiling, which was strange considering they were about to have beef.

“What’s that for?” Sanghyeok asked, gesturing to the pot.

“Oh, I was just going to boil up some udon noodles.” Wangho said, pulling them out of the bags from the supermarket. “Do you not prefer them over rice with beef anymore?” he asked nervously.

Sanghyeok didn’t know how to describe how he was feeling. He couldn’t believe that Wangho remembered such a minor detail from when he treated him so horribly. “No…I still do.”

Wangho smiled at him. “I’m glad I got them then.” He turned to start cooking the meat.

Sanghyeok’s eyes moved around the kitchen. On the clock, he saw that it was almost 7pm already. He focused his eyes back on Wangho, realizing how skinny and pale he looked. Worry and concern filled his mind. “Are you getting enough sleep?”

“Yes, I took a nap earlier, and I’m going to take another one later before work.”

“For someone working almost 2/3rds of the day, you should be getting sleep instead of naps.”

Wangho gave him a reassuring smile. “It’s not so bad once you get used to it. It’s easy to overcome the sleepiness when I remember who I’m doing it for.”

At that moment, Taemin ran into the room. “Daddy, daddy! Can I ask you something?”

Wangho turned to face his son. “Of course, what is it?”

“Can I get a puppy for Christmas? Uncle Beomhyeon said he would get me anything I wanted.” He pleaded using the cutest voice he could. He knew his daddy would be likely to object. “Please please please! I promise I’ll walk him and play with him every day!”

Wangho sighed. He didn’t want to be a killjoy, but he wasn’t sure they could afford the cost of properly caring for a pet.

“I’ll be extra good in school, and I won’t ask for any other presents, so prettyyy please?”

Wangho didn’t want to take all that happiness away from him, so he gave in and nodded.

Taemin cheered, and out of the room yelling into the phone that he had gotten permission.

“You really love to spoil him.” Sanghyeok said to him with a slight teasing tone. He saw how much Wangho had toiled over the decision.

“I just never want to see him anything but happy, especially because of me.”

“If you don’t mind me asking…” Sanghyeok paused to gauge his reaction, but didn’t see one. “What’s troubling you about it?”

Wangho tended to the meat before turning around and leaning on the counter. “I was just worrying about our bills going up, that’s all.” The smile on his face was strained. He was hoping to save up enough soon to be able to quit the night job. Despite telling everyone around him that he was fine, he had almost collapsed on the way to work yesterday. It was only the thought of Taemin that gave him the strength to go on.

He took a deep breath to calm himself. A few minutes pass by in silence. “Anyways, dinner is ready. I’ll go get Taemin.”

It took a few minutes, but when Wangho came back into the room with Taemin, there was a genuine smile on his face. Sanghyeok figured that talking to Taemin had improved his mood.

“My auntie and uncle said that they would eat a bit later,” he explained, placing the bowl of sliced beef over udon in front of Sanghyeok. Turning to Taemin, Wangho asked “Have you said hello to Sanghyeok yet?”

“Hello.” He said meekly. He didn’t particularly like this man, but if his daddy would keep him around he would have to be nice otherwise his daddy would start crying again.

Sanghyeok and Taemin latched eyes as Wangho turned around to prepare the other two bowls. Sanghyeok wanted to memorize every detail of his son’s face, and Taemin was hoping that his stare would creep him out and make him want to leave, although it had the opposite effect.

Wangho placed a bowl for himself, and one for Taemin onto the table. “It’s still very hot, so be careful,” he reminded him. Taemin nodded eagerly in response before digging in.

As they started eating, Wangho tried to watch for Sanghyeok’s reaction from the corner of his eye. He still wasn’t quite sure what he really thought of his cooking.

“How is it?” he finally asked.

“It’s very, very good.” Sanghyeok replied appreciatively.

“Daddy! It’s so hot! Can I put it in the freezer?”

Wangho laughed and shook his head. He helped Taemin pull his seat closer to him. “Here, I’ll blow on it for you to help cool it.”

Sanghyeok swore that Taemin flashed a quick victory smile at him after stealing all of Wangho’s attention.

After Wangho finished blowing on Taemin’s food, they exchanged a few words while eating. After a few minutes, Taemin cutely asked “Can I have some of your beef?” and received half of the remaining beef in Wangho’s bowl.

Sanghyeok could feel jealousy growing inside of him seeing Taemin get all of Wangho’s attention. He felt like he had been forgotten. He couldn’t believe he was getting jealous of his own son, but he couldn’t help it.

After cleaning up the dishes and preparing bowls for his auntie and uncle, Wangho got Taemin ready for bed. He quickly came into the living room to say goodbye to Sanghyeok.

Sanghyeok watched him enter, and he could see the exhaustion in his actions. He would only be able to sleep for 3 hours before having to go to work, the thought of which put a small frown on his face. He stood up and met him halfway.

“I’ll be going now,” he said softly. Wangho nodded, awkwardly avoiding his gaze, and rubbing his elbow with his opposite hand. A few awkward seconds passed before Sanghyeok pulled him into a tentative hug. He wasn’t sure how this action would be received, but Wangho didn’t reject it. “Thank you for having me for dinner,” he whispered into his ear. Wangho blushed slightly and said that it was no problem.

Wangho walked him to the door before returning to his shared bedroom.

Outside, Sanghyeok realized that the next day was Saturday, so he didn’t need to go into work. He decided that he would drive Wangho to work later, it was the least he could do. He walked into his car, and after locking the door, set an alarm for midnight.

A few hours later, Sanghyeok woke up groggily to the sound of his alarm. He couldn’t believe Wangho had been surviving like this for so long.

He saw that there were a few lights on in the house, so he got out of the car, and leaned against it.

He saw the lights turn off a few minutes later, and soon Wangho emerged from the house. He saw Sanghyeok waiting, and had a very confused look on his face.

When Wangho got close enough, he just said “I don’t need to go into work today, so I wanted to give you a ride to work to show my thanks for dinner.”

Wangho shook his head, “You don’t need to thank me for it,” but graciously accepted the offer because he had been running a few minutes late.

Once Sanghyeok started the drive, he was determined to have a conversation with Wangho, now that it was just the two of them.

“Was Taemin awake when you left?” Sanghyeok asked. He knew that the best way to get Wangho engaged was to talk about Taemin.

Wangho nodded with a loving smile. “He’s a very light sleeper, so he gets up whenever I do. He probably went back to sleep now that I’ve left though.”

“He really adores you.” Sanghyeok said thoughtfully.

Wangho detected a bit of wistfulness in his voice, but didn’t point it out. “How are your parents doing?”

“They’re doing well, and they’re healthy. Possibly happier now that I’ve moved back in with them. It had been a while since I’ve had their chef’s cooking, so that was a nice change.”

Soon, they arrived at the fast food restaurant. “Be safe, and stay warm,” he said to Wangho as he got out of the car. Wangho smiled back and nodded “Thank you for the ride.” And headed inside.

After pondering his options, he decided to get a hotel room for the night and to return to Seoul the next evening. He sent a text to his assistant to let his parents know, and after picking a hotel where to express mail a few days’ worth of clothes to, just in case.

After checking into the hotel, Sanghyeok immediately collapsed into the bed and went to sleep; but not before setting an alarm for 6am.

Once the alarm rang, he had a newfound invigoration to show his love to Wangho. He jumped out of bed, picked him the package downstairs, and hopped into the shower. After having a quick breakfast at the hotel, he made the short drive over to the fast food restaurant that Wangho worked at, making a stop at a florist on the way.

He waited against his car, holding the bouquet of red roses in his hand.

“I thought I would take you home as well, since I had decided to stay for the night.” He explained once Wangho walked out of the establishment.

Accepting the bouquet felt strange, as Wangho had never received anything like that before. He knew that red roses stood for ‘I love you’, and he wasn’t sure how to feel. He shyly took them into his hands and looked down at the freshly cut stems.

“Do you like it?” Sanghyeok asked carefully, nervous that Wangho would reject such an action from him.

Wangho looked up with a small smile, but it was a smile nonetheless. “Thank you very much,” he said bowing slightly.

Sanghyeok hadn’t expected this reaction, and awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m glad you like them.”

The ride back to Wangho’s home was quiet, but peaceful.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Had a lot of fun writing this chapter :) Hope you guys are okay with this one being more fun and slow.


	11. Chapter 11

Sanghyeok stopped by his home on Monday morning. He didn’t think much of it when he didn’t see Shinhye. He was surprised to see her sitting in his office, all dolled up; although his tastes seemed to have changed lately.

He spared her a glance while walking to his desk, and carelessly dropped a file on his table. “What are you doing here”?

Rage swelled within her, like she always did when Sanghyeok acted like he didn’t care. She was upset because she was used to getting attention from him, but his behavior made her feel unwanted. “I went to your parent’s house yesterday.”

Sanghyeok didn’t react to the statement. He continued going through documents and jotting down notes.

“Where were you?”

“Why did you go to my parent’s house?” He never thought he would say those words, when in the past he had wanted her to go so badly.

“To find you. We need to talk.”

“Leave a message with my assistant, I’ll call you when I have some time.”

“What?!” She snapped, standing up to go and stand in front of him. “Is this how you treat your wife?”

Sanghyeok glared at her. “As you should know, we’re no longer married. The courts approved our divorce on Friday after you didn’t send in a response.”

“Why couldn’t you wait for my signature instead of leaving the decision to the court? What do you think I have become? Just someone that you needed to get rid of?”

“I gave you plenty of time.”

Shinhye took a deep breath. She wanted to talk civilly with Sanghyeok without raising their voices. “Please give me another chance to make it right.” She hated how those words sounded coming out of her mouth, begging wasn’t her.

Sanghyeok’s hands stopped in place, dropping the pen on the table before leaning back on the chair to look at her. “You had 5 years, there were plenty of chances.”

“I know.” Shinhye replied. “I thought you loved me enough to forgive my imperfections like how you always did. That’s what you said pulled you to me, so I didn’t think that I needed to change.”

Sanghyeok didn’t meet her gaze. He felt slightly guilty because her words were true, at least there was a time when they were. “Marriage changes people, it’s not the same as when you were my girlfriend.”

“I still love you the same.”

“Unfortunately, I can’t say the same anymore.”

Shinhye collapsed into a chair. She wasn’t sure how long she stared up at the ceiling before coming to a realization. “You were in Busan yesterday, weren’t you?”

Sanghyeok didn’t see any reason to lie, and nodded.

Shinhye’s eyes narrowed. The demon in her took over, and she stormed out of the room. As she made her way to the parking lot, she was plotting her revenge on a particular person.

* * *

A few days went by, and it was just 1 week out from Christmas. Wangho had thought it over, and decided that he couldn’t go on much longer. He had quit his night job, and had spent the last few days spending quality time with Taemin and resting.

They received a call from the ornament shop letting them know that their order was ready. Wangho walked with Taemin on the snow-covered streets that were filled with people doing some last minute shopping.

“Okay! Wangho Han, 7 Christmas figurines with carved names.”

Wangho nodded and took a quick look over it, before paying the rest of the balance. It had started lightly snowing again while they were in the store, and they started walking away from the commercial area.

“Daddy! Will uncle Beomhyeon and Jongin be here for Christmas?”

Wangho shook his head “Uncle Jongin will be here on Christmas Eve, but Uncle Beomhyeon won’t make it until the morning when you wake up.”

“Aww~” Taemin pouted. He was looking forward to seeing their new puppy.

“Don’t worry, it’ll just be one more day.”

They waited at the crosswalk for the walk symbol before starting to cross.

Suddenly, they heard someone shouting “Watch out!” Wangho looked over to his right and saw a car driving towards them at a dangerously high speed. The only thing he could do was push Taemin off to the side of the road before bracing for impact.

Wangho’s body flew to the opposite side of the street. The car screeched as it swerved and hit a light post.

Taemin stood in shock before realizing that he was alone.

“DADDY!” He jumped up and tears started clouding his vision as he ran over. He cried hard when he saw blood staining Wangho’s forehead. “Daddy?” his voice shook, afraid that he wouldn’t get any response.

He knelt by Wangho’s face, where another body also lay nearby.

“Daddy! It’s Taemin.” The fact that Wangho wasn’t replying caused him to feel immense terror as he cried.

Soon, an ambulance arrived and brought them to the hospital.

Taemin sat in the hallway of the hospital, crying alone. He was right outside of the room his daddy was being treated in. The nurse that had been with him walked off to contact their home.

All he could remember was the image of his daddy, his face bloody. The nurse returned, and Taemin quickly asked “Is daddy back?”

The nurse slowly shook her head. “I called your family, they said they would be here as soon as they could. Do you want to wait in the playroom?”

Taemin shook his head. “I will wait for daddy.” He sniffed.

The nurse nodded understandingly and left him alone.

* * *

Sanghyeok had just started work for the day when he felt his phone vibrate. He was surprised to see the number was calling from Busan. The only time he could remember giving his number away in Busan was to Wangho, but he had saved that number.

Then he remembered that he had also given his number to the hospital. He frowned, he knew that Wangho had finally quit his night job, but perhaps he was still feeling the lingering effects and collapsed? He picked up the call, and seconds later he ran off to the elevator as he texted his assistant telling him to reschedule and meetings.

A few hours later, his heart was hammering in his chest as he ran down the hospital corridor towards Wangho’s room. He slowed down when he saw Taemin laying on the bench, asleep.

Wangho’s auntie and uncle were out of the country, visiting their children abroad, so Wangho and Taemin had been home alone that week.

Sanghyeok sat down next to him, bringing Taemin into his arms. A nurse walked up to him and asked “What is your relationship to him?”

“I’m his father.” Sanghyeok replied, the words feeling a little foreign leaving his tongue.

The nurse nodded. “The doctor will be out shortly to let you know about Mr. Han’s condition.”

Sanghyeok thanked the nurse and leaned back on the wall. Taemin was calling for Wangho in his sleep. Sanghyeok patted him in the back trying to comfort him, and Taemin snuggled into him.

The door opened, and a doctor emerged. His face didn’t give anything away. He walked up to Sanghyeok and let him know “Mr. Han’s life is not in danger. Luckily, he didn’t receive direct impact from the car, but sustained a concussion, and a broken arm. The man who tried to save him is also not in danger.”

Sanghyeok let out a breath he didn’t notice he had been holding, and felt his body relax.

“What about the driver?”

“She’s still in the operating room.”

“When will we be able to see him?”

“He’ll be transferred to a different floor once he wakes up.”

Sanghyeok thanked the doctor and carried Taemin to the waiting room. There were a few other families in there as well. After taking a seat, he felt Taemin stirring.

“Daddy?” Taemin blinked and rubbed his eyes. Seeing Sanghyeok’s face when he was expecting Wangho’s made tears for again, and he asked “Where’s daddy? Please take me to daddy mister! He needs me.” He cried.

Sanghyeok held Taemin. “Calm down Taemin, everything is okay. The doctor just told me that your daddy is fine now, he’s just sleeping. They said that once he wakes up we can see him.”

Taemin shook his head adamantly. “NO!” He yelled and climbed off of him. “I want him now! I have to wake up daddy!”

“Taemin!” The boy had already run out of the room before he could grab him. He immediately got up and ran after the boy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> dun dun dun 😮bit of a short chapter, next one will be longer I promise!


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Italics are for characters thoughts!

Taemin was crying like a river as he turned his head from side to side. He didn’t know which way the room that he had waited in front was located. Without a thought, he ran down the hallway. Just before he reached the staircase, Sanghyeok caught up to him. He struggled and shouted at Sanghyeok to let him go.

Unsure of what to do, Sanghyeok pulled Taemin into his chest, with one hand at the back of the boy’s head. “Shhh, it’s okay. Your daddy is okay.”

“I want daddy!” Taemin cried into Sanghyeok’s shoulders. “Daddy can’t sleep. He has to wake up and talk to Taemin! Please take me to daddy!”

Sanghyeok bit his lip as he held the boy until his sobs died down. When he was sure that Taemin would listen to him, he said “The doctor said your daddy is fine. He is going to wake up, but we just need to wait for him.”

“Are you sure?” Taemin asked, pulling away. “You promise?”

Sanghyeok smiled and nodded. “I promise. Let’s go back and wait for someone to bring us to your daddy, okay?”

Taemin nodded slowly and wiped his tears. He looped his arms around Sanghyeok’s neck just like how he did when he wanted his daddy to pick him up, and Sanghyeok obliged.

Taemin sat quietly in his seat, not sleeping. They waited for over an hour before a nurse came to inform them that Wangho had been transferred to a room. Upon entering the room, he let go of Sanghyeok’s hand and ran over to the bed. Seeing white bandages around his daddy’s head and arm made him burst into tears. “Daddy? Daddy! Taemin’s here!”

He tugged on Wangho’s unbandaged arm. “Please wake up!”

Sanghyeok walked over quietly, and picked Taemin up, setting him down on Wangho’s good side. Taemin immediately lied down to hug Wangho’s torso, and he drifted off to sleep in that position.

His heart hurt seeing how dependent he was on Wangho. If Wangho had gotten hit more directly and passed away…how would he be without his daddy? He had a nagging feeling inside him that chipped away at his pride for not being able to comfort his own son.

He gently moved Taemin over to the couch, and set Taemin’s head down onto his sweater. A few more minutes passed before Wangho began to stir. Sanghyeok walked over to the bed and pushed on the call light button.

“Nhn.” Wangho groaned. His unrestrained arm moved up to fiddle with his hair before feeling the bandages.

A nurse came in shortly after to do a quick assessment. “Mr. Han, how are you feeling?”

“My head hurts.” He mumbled.

“Would you like medicine for the pain?” Wangho nodded in response.

After the nurse left, Sanghyeok leaned down and gently touched his shoulder. “Wangho.”

“Hm?” Wangho didn’t recognize his voice and didn’t respond further.

“It’s me, Sanghyeok.”

There was a moment of silence before Wangho’s eyes shot slowly fluttered open. They were blank for a while before focusing on him. “Sanghyeok?” Confusion was apparent on his face, and he tilted his head slightly.

“The hospital called me.”

A few seconds passed before panic took over Wangho’s face. He jolted up. “Taemin, where’s Taemin? Is he okay?”

Sanghyeok held his shoulder to keep him in place. “Taemin’s okay, he didn’t suffer any injuries,” and gestured to the couch where he was sleeping. Upon seeing his son, he let out a huge sigh of relief and then collapsed back into the bed. A few tears formed in his eyes, and he moved up his non-broken arm to hide his face. “He must’ve been so scared.” He said softly as a few tears flowed down his face.

Sanghyeok slowly wrapped his hands around Wangho’s arm and head, trying to comfort him, and Wangho let his body fall against his.

Wangho hung onto Sanghyeok, and didn’t let go even when the nurse injected a narcotic into his IV. The medication worked fast, and made him sleepy again. Sanghyeok gently laid him back into his bed, and he quickly slipped back into sleep.

Seeing that both of them were asleep, Sanghyeok took the chance to call his parents and let them know that he wouldn’t be home that night.

The next morning, Wangho woke up to Taemin’s voice quietly chattering.

“I decorated our Christmas tree by myself. Daddy said I’m an artist because it looks really nice. What about you mister? Do you decorate your own tree?”

“Hm, no. I don’t have a tree at home.”

Taemin gasped, his eyes rounded in confusion. “Why don’t you have a tree? Every house has to have one.”

“Really?” Sanghyeok asked playfully, a smirk on his face.

Taemin nodded with conviction. “You have to have a Christmas tree for Christmas. If not, you don’t get presents.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“Have you ever gotten Christmas presents before?”

Sanghyeok chuckled “Of course I have. My parents have a big tree in their house, and I come over to their place every Christmas.”

“Ooh!” Taemin smiled, nodding understandingly.

Wangho smiled gently, and tried to sit up without interrupting their conversation, but the pain from his arm and head forced a groan out of him.

“Daddy!” Taemin squealed and jumped from the couch and ran to the bed as quickly as he could. “You’re awake!”

Wangho ignored the pain and smiled at his son. “Yes I am. It’s so weird to see you wake up before I do.”

Taemin grinned cheekily. “That’s ok daddy. Mister said that daddy needs to sleep, so I was quiet and had a good breakfast with him.

“And you didn’t give up any trouble?” Wangho teased, putting a shocked look on his face.

“Of course not daddy!” Taemin pouted.

Wangho laughed. Although hurt, it felt great. Sanghyeok stood up and walked over to them. He put his hand on Taemin’s shoulder and said “I need to go for a bit.”

Taemin frowned. “Can’t you stay mister?” He took Sanghyeok’s hand, holding it pleadingly.

“I’ll be back later to eat lunch with you, okay? I just need to go make a few calls.”

Taemin reluctantly nodded

“While I’m gone, make sure to keep your daddy happy, and don’t let him get bored.”

Taemin took it like a challenge and sent him off with a big smile.

“Did you have a good time with Sanghyeok while I was sleeping?” Wangho patted on the spot next to him, beckoning the boy to come over.

“Yes! He’s a horrible story teller though,” Taemin wrinkled his nose “and he tells some horrible jokes.”

“Do you like him?”

Taemin blinked and looked pensively at the ceiling.

“Do you not like him then?”

“I don’t like it when he makes you cry.” Taemin confessed. Just the memory of his daddy crying put an unpleasant look on his face. “But mister doesn’t make daddy cry anymore, so I like him. Do you like him too, daddy?”

Wangho was caught off guard by the question being deflected back at him. He paused to think. There is still some caution in his heart regarding Sanghyeok. He is accepting of the other’s presence, but there’s still a small part in the back of his mind that was saying that Sanghyeok was only back for his son, and didn’t love him. “Well, he makes my Taemin happy, so yes.”

“I’ll tell you the bad story mister told me. It’ll make you laugh.”

Wangho nodded.

Lunch arrived much sooner than Sanghyeok had thought. He quickly left the café he had been getting some work done at, and was once again on the road to the hospital.

As he was waiting for the elevator to get to Wangho’s floor, he noticed a man that he recognized as Shinhye’s manager on the floor earlier.  _ ‘What is he doing here?’ _

He slipped out of the elevator, and tailed the manager. The door to the room he entered was slightly ajar, so he stood in front of it.

“What did you do?! Do you have any idea what your reckless action has done to the company, not to mention yourself? Look at your face! Who do you think will want to hire you when your face is that damaged?!”

There was no sound from anyone other than the manager.

“You’re lucky no one saw you hit those people, or the media would be all over your case.”

Finally, the patient spoke. “What happened to my face?”

Sanghyeok’s eyes widened, not believing his ears.

The manager tsked. “You finally worry about that now? What in the world were you thinking driving that damn car into people. I know you weren’t drunk, so why did you do it? Are you so upset about the divorce that you want to die?”

“Are you stupid? Even if the world wanted me gone I wouldn’t kill myself for anyone or anything.”

“Then why?”

“I’ll tell you, because I’ll probably face some charges anyway. I was hoping to run over that son of a bitch that stole my husband from me. The damn bitch managed to survive with only a broken arm.”

Sanghyeok slammed the door open upon hearing that, and Shinhye widened her eyes seeing the wrath in her former husband’s face.

“Sa-Sanghyeok…”

“Did you intend to kill him?”

Shinhye froze hearing the icy tone of his voice.

“DID you intend to kill him?!”

Shinhye again didn’t reply as he raised his voice.

“I can’t believe I ever decided to divorce Wangho to marry someone like you. I must’ve been blind.”

Shinhye finally spoke up. “Wait! Wait! Sanghyeok! You know I’m not that kind of person! I only did it because I love you and I can’t stand having you taken away from me! I really do love you, I can’t live without you! Shinhye sobbed. She reached out for him from the bed, as her injured limbs prevented her from getting out of bed. “Please give me another chance. You know how much I love you.”

Sanghyeok looked spitefully towards her and shook her head. “Apparently, I don’t. To go this far…” He looked away and let out a troubled sigh before looking back at her with his face hardened. “I can never forgive you for hurting him.” He turned and left before she could respond, and he could hear her calling his name as he walked away.

Now walking towards Wangho’s room, he slowly pushed the door open to hear Wangho singing chatting with Taemin. “Look who’s here.” Wangho said as he saw Sanghyeok walk into the room, gesturing towards where he stood.

Taemin turned with bright eyes at the sight of Sanghyeok. “Mister! You’re here!” He ran over to grab Sanghyeok’s hand. “Did you bring good food?”

Sanghyeok bent down slightly to ruffle the boy’s hair. “I think your daddy needs to rest. How about I take you out for lunch, wherever you want…as long as your daddy is okay with it.”

“Really?”

Sanghyeok nodded as a big grin appeared and Taemin turned back to Wangho. “Can I go get lunch with mister? I’ll be good, I promise.”

Wangho smiled and nodded. “Just don’t get anything with too much sugar okay?”

“I promise!” Taemin cheered and gave Wangho a kiss on the cheek. “Daddy sleep while I’m gone?”

“Mmhm.” Wangho gave Taemin a kiss on the forehead. He watched as his son ran to Sanghyeok, grabbing his hand. His eyes met Sanghyeok’s. “Please take care of him.”

Sanghyeok smiled back reassuringly. “Try to get some sleep.”

The two left the room to spend some lone father-son time together.

After they left, Wangho felt some concern growing inside of him. He hadn’t planned on including Sanghyeok in his life in the future, but Sanghyeok was growing on his son. It broke his heart to see their current relationship, and could only think about how much better it could have been if it wasn’t for…If it wasn’t for what? He wasn’t sure who’s fault it was. Was it his fault for not being able to capture Sanghyeok’s heart the first time? Was it Shinhye’s for not giving up on Sanghyeok? Was it Sanghyeok’s fault for not standing up for himself and his feelings in the first place? Or was it even Dahee’s fault for forcing her son into a marriage and convincing Wangho.

There was no right answer.

He hated that he had a weak spot in his heart for the man. It made him want to forget about everything and all the pain he had to suffer because of Sanghyeok, but his rational mind had a different thought. It wanted Sanghyeok to suffer for all those years he had to endure.

Wangho sighed. His head was starting to hurt from thinking too much.

The nurse walked in at that moment, and saw him grimacing, and offered him some more medication, which he gladly accepted.

When she got back with the medicine, he asked her “The man who saved my life…is he okay?”

The nurse gave him a smile and nodded. “His life is not in danger, just has a broken leg. He seemed to be doing better today.”

Wangho felt a huge burden being lifted from his shoulders. “Is he still in the hospital then? I would like to see and thank him properly.”

“Yes he is. If you like, I can see if he’s up for a visit. If he’s okay with it, I can come back in half an hour to take you to him after the medicine settles in.”

Wangho smiled. “That would be great.”

30 minutes later, the nurse returned to bring him to the other’s room; only a few rooms down the hall. He thought that the voice sounded familiar when they knocked on the door, and upon entering, his eyes widened.

“Kyungho-hyung?”

“Wangho-ya!”

There, laying on the bed with his left leg in a cast was Kyungho, one of his employers at Rox Diner. “You were the one who saved me?”

Kyungho smiled and nodded. “I was on my way to the store when I saw it happen. Sorry I couldn’t visit you sooner.”

The nurse helped Wangho into a seat by the bed before slipping out. He shook his head. “I should be the one who’s sorry.” He moved his hand to hold Kyungho’s. “You broke a leg because of me, I cannot thank you enough for what you did for me.”

“I couldn’t let you leave Taemin behind.” He said, giving Wangho an affectionate gaze. Wangho felt his heart swell with warmth, and a protectiveness that he had never felt before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next few chapters will be in the hospital 😅hope you guys don't mind.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Italics are for characters thoughts!

Sanghyeok wasn’t sure what to expect when he asked Taemin where he wanted to eat lunch. He thought that might suggest some fancy steakhouse, or some expensive seafood, Taemin had chosen burgers from a fast food restaurant. He hadn’t just been happy, he was ecstatic. He couldn’t decide what he wanted from the menu. Sanghyeok had suggested one of the kids meals for him, but was shot down because Taemin was a “big boy now.”

“I like burgers lots, but daddy says that they’re not good for you, so he only lets me eat them once a month.” Taemin said tragically.

“Are burgers your favorite food?”

“Nope!”

Surprised, Sanghyeok asked “What is your favorite food then?”

“Daddy’s food is my favorite, I just like burgers. Do you like burgers mister?”

Sanghyeok smiled “Maybe. This is my first time eating burgers.”

“Your daddy doesn’t let you eat burgers either?”

Sanghyeok laughed, Taemin’s child-like mind was amazing to him. He imagined that all daddy’s were like his own.

“My father never liked American food, so we never had any.”

“Oh. Daddy likes everything, so I like everything too.”

“That’s good.” Sanghyeok was relieved that Taemin wasn’t a picky eater.

“Do you have a son, mister?”

The question caught him off-guard, and Taemin’s face made it obvious he was expecting a reply. Luckily, their number was called, and he went over to get their food. The question was forgotten once the food was on the table.

After a few bites, Sanghyeok decided that he wasn’t a particular fan of burgers, but seeing how happy Taemin was as he ate them made it a whole lot better. He wouldn’t mind eating them again as long as it was with Taemin.

When they got back to the hospital, Wangho was awake, and a nurse was changing the bandages on his head.

Taemin and Sanghyeok waited by the window. “I can see people down there! They look like black dots.” Taemin exclaimed, his finger on the glass.

“You should try to get some sleep. It’ll help with your headache.”

Wangho nodded at the nurses advice, and thanked her before she left. Taemin was by his bed seconds after she left. “Is daddy hurt?” a worried expression on his face. Wangho soothed the wrinkles on his face. “Just a little, but daddy’s fine. Did you have a good lunch with Sanghyeok?”

Taemin’s face brightened with a smile. “We ate burgers!”

“Yummy.” Wangho smiled and Taemin before looking at Sanghyeok. “Shouldn’t you be going back to work today?”

Sanghyeok nodded quietly.

“Thank you for taking Taemin out today, I really appreciate it.”

Hearing Wangho say that bugged him. It made it seem like he had done a huge favor for him, and that he had only done it because Wangho asked him to. It made him feel like there was distance between them, when he had been hoping to be accepted and recognized as his father soon. It would appear that he still had a lot to do.

“I’ll be back in a few hours.”

“You don’t need to do that, constantly driving back and forth. It’s too much of a hassle.”

“It’s not.” Sanghyeok insisted. “I want to come.”

“The whole day without a break, you must be tired. Just go home and get some rest.”

Taemin got off the bed and ran to Sanghyeok, holding his hand. “Daddy’s always right. Mister should listen to him.”

Sanghyeok hesitated before nodding. “Then take good care of your daddy.”

“I will!” Taemin gave him a grin and ran back to climb on the bed. “Taemin will be here with daddy.”

Wangho pet his son’s head with an affectionate smile.

Sanghyeok came to stand at the bedside. He hesitated, but decided to reach for Wangho’s hand.

He saw a surprised flinch from Wangho out of the corner of his eye, but he ignored it to loop his other arm around Taemin’s shoulders. “I’ll see you both tomorrow.”

Wangho nodded, and the squeeze from Sanghyeok’s hand made his heart flutter strangely.

* * *

Once he got back to his parent’s home, he took a look at his phone. There were more than 50 missed calls, texts, and voicemails on his phone. They were all from Shinhye demanding that they talk, insisting that there was a misunderstanding.

Sanghyeok knew that if he let his heart sway, their relationship would be stretched out longer than necessary, not to mention that she had wholeheartedly tried to kill Wangho, feeling no remorse. She was scary and dangerous. Even if she was someone she used to love, letting her misdeed go would be a mistake that he didn’t want to commit.

He decided to call his lawyer.

The next morning, he woke up before sunrise to drive over to Busan. The weather was unforgiving, and there was constant snowfall the entire drive there. Despite the weather, his heart was filled with happiness and warmth that couldn’t be brought down until he got to the front of Wangho’s room.

There was a man in a wheelchair holding Wangho’s hand with Taemin on the couch sleeping. Sanghyeok had never seen such a large and genuine smile on Wangho’s face, and had never heard him laughing so hard. It shook him with jealousy and rage. He didn’t burst into the room, but stood right outside listening in on their conversation.

“I’ll let my dad know that you won’t be able to go in for a while. He patted Wangho’s hand in comfort as the other had been distressed about not being able to work, thus not receiving any income until he recovered. “If you need the money, just let me know. I can loan it to you, and you can just pay me back whenever you can. It’s not a big deal.”

Wangho sighed. He didn’t like relying on others financially. “Thank you for the offer hyung, but Taemin and I will be fine.”

Don’t forget! You’re going to get compensation from the driver as well. The hospital is keeping their identity confidential, but I’m sure you’ll get more than just the hospital bill. So don’t make yourself worry about getting back to work. Taemin would be so sad if he heard you beating yourself up over this.”

Wangho laughed at that. “I can imagine the little frown on his face,” while looking at the sleeping face of his son.

“Do you feel any better?”

Wangho nodded. He looked down at Kyungho’s hand that was holding his. He squeezed his hand and gave him a reassuring look. “I feel a lot better. Thank you for coming here when your leg is broken.

Kyungho laughed. “One broken leg is nothing. Glad I still have both arms to be able to wheel this chair. Medical inventions sure are incredible.”

Wangho nodded in agreement.

Kyungho glanced at the clock. “Ah shit, I better get back to my room. My nurse is supposed to check up on me soon.”

Hearing that, Sanghyeok moved away from the door and hid around the corner as Kyungho left.

As Sanghyeok walked into the room, he couldn’t help but wonder what kind of relationship Wangho had with that man. Their relationship was enough to threaten his peace.

Wangho was quietly relaxing by the window. When he heard Sanghyeok enter, he turned around and gave him a small smile. Sanghyeok felt a bit of pain in his heart. Why couldn’t he make Wangho smile and laugh like that man had he wondered, even though he knew that it was due to his actions from the past.

“I wasn’t expecting you this early.”

Sanghyeok went by the bed to sit down at the chair. “I thought I’d bring you both breakfast,” raising his arm to show a paper bag before putting it on the table. “Taemin had said he wanted to try strawberry pancakes.”

Wangho bit his lip and looked at his son. “You don’t need to get him everything he wants. You shouldn’t spoil him.”

Sanghyeok looked away, feeling upset at hearing the word ‘shouldn’t’ as if he wasn’t allowed to do anything more. “Aren’t you the same?”

Wangho looked up at him. “I don’t spoil him. I just try my best to provide him with the basic necessities.”

Sanghyeok only nodded. He didn’t say anything or look at Wangho.

“…Are you upset with me?”

He tensed at the question, but turned to look at Wangho’s face. “I’m not. Why do you ask?”

“It just…seems like you’re avoiding me.”

“I wouldn’t be here if I were.”

“That’s true but…” Wangho held in a sigh. He didn’t want to get into an argument when he wasn’t sure why Sanghyeok was a bit moody this morning. “Have you eaten yet?” He tried to change the subject. He saw Sanghyeok’s body relax a bit.

“Not yet, I’ll get breakfast in a little bit. How did you sleep last night?”

Wangho smiled. “I slept well. The nurse gave me a powerful narcotic, so it was easy to sleep.”

Sanghyeok nodded in approval. “Have they started talking about when you would be discharged?”

“The nurse said that it would be at least a few more days because of my head injury. They want to make sure that it’s nothing to worry about.” Wangho said disappointed.

“I’m sure that’s for the best.”

“I know, I just don’t like having Taemin here all day. He gets so bored, but doesn’t say anything because he doesn’t want me to worry.”

Sanghyeok thought for a bit before offering a solution. “Maybe I can take care of him while you’re still in here.” It earned him a surprised look from Wangho.

“I can’t ask you to do that, especially when you don’t live nearby. Besides, I’d hate it if I couldn’t see him every day, or anytime I wanted.”

The gentle rejection hurt Sanghyeok, but he didn’t show it. “Then, do you have a solution?”

Wangho hesitantly nodded, his body language uncomfortable. “Well Kyungho-hyung will be discharged later today, and he offered to take Taemin out a few hours a day.”

“Who is he?” Sanghyeok’s mind perked at the name, nervous about what Wangho was about to say.

Wangho smiled fondly, and it made Sanghyeok’s body heat up with jealousy. “He’s the one who saved my life, and he’s one of my supervisors at work, so Taemin knows him too.”

 _‘Does he ever look like that when he talks about me?’_ “Taemin knows me too.”

Wangho stared blankly at Sanghyeok for a while, wondering what had gotten into Sanghyeok that made him seem…made him seem somewhat competitive, as if he was trying to prove his worth. He looked away. “You live in Seoul. I can’t ask you to drive back and forth several times a day just because I want to see Taemin.”

“I don’t mind.” Sanghyeok spoke with conviction. “I can get a hotel for a while.” He really hoped to gain Wangho’s trust and Taemin’s favor.

Wangho frowned and pressed his lips tightly. “But I do.” His gaze was firm as he said those words.

With eyes blazing with frustration, he looked away to avoid clashing with Wangho. A short while of silence later, he stood up, still not looking at Wangho. “I’m glad you are feeling better, I need to get going now.

Wangho nodded, but Sanghyeok didn’t see it. He watched Sanghyeok leave the room silently. Once the door was closed, he let out a long, heavy sigh. His eyes fluttered restlessly, regretting that he gave Sanghyeok a difficult time. He could tell the other was trying to make things right, but he couldn’t help but act that way. It was second nature after all he had endured.

* * *

Taemin stirred. Sleepy groans and mumbles escaped his lips as he blinked and rubbed his eyes. “Daddy?”

Wangho smiled down and used his left hand to part Taemin’s hair. “Good morning, baby.”

Hearing one of his pet names, he lazily grinned and then snuggled closer to him. “Gud ‘ning.” His voice was muffled. He was about to go back to sleep when he picked up a yummy smell, instantly making his sleepiness fade. His head popped up, and surveyed around the room until his eyes settled on a bag on the table.

Wangho noticed his son staring at the bag and said “there’s a surprise for you in that bag, buuut you’re going to need to brush your teeth first.”

Taemin’s eyes widened in excitement with a huge smile on his face. “Really? For me?”

At Wangho’s nod, he jumped off of the bed and ran into the bathroom. When he emerged later, Wangho was standing at the big table by the window setting up their breakfast.

“Strawberry pancakes?!” He exclaimed in disbelief, his mouth on the floor.

Wangho looked down at his son who had perched himself on his knees on the chair and chuckled. He reached down and pinched his cheeks. “Yup. Sanghyeok brought it in while you were sleeping, so you have to thank him later when you see him, okay?”

Taemin nodded enthusiastically, picked up a fork and then dug in.

Breakfast was delicious and heart-warming. Every bite that Wangho took, he felt love oozing out of the pancakes. Sanghyeok’s face kept popping up in his mind.

“-I like mister.”

Wangho’s eyes flickered to his son. He had been lost in his own thoughts that he completely missed the words that had come before that. “You like him?”

Taemin nodded and chewed. “Mister gives me lots of yummy food, and is very nice too. But daddy, do you know why he looks sad?”

The question caught him by surprise. “When did you see Sanghyeok look sad?”

“Whenever we talk about you, and when he looks at you. I feel the same way when I’m waiting for you at school.” The wise words coming out of the child’s mouth contradicted the innocent look on his face.

Wangho looked down at the plate and played with the pancake on it. “…I don’t know, baby.”

They continued eating, and soon Taemin yelled “I’m done!”

Wangho smiled and reached over to wipe off the jam that was on the corner of Taemin’s mouth. “Was breakfast good?”

Taemin nodded. “It’s yummy! Daddy, are we going home today?” he asked hopefully.

Wangho smiled sympathetically, he wanted to go home as much as he did. “Not yet.”

Taemin pouted.

“But we will be home before Christmas.”

Taemin nodded solemnly. “I don’t like hospital…” he said sadly “…but I like staying with daddy!”

“That’s okay Taemin. I have one more surprise for you today.” Taemin looked up surprised. “I asked Uncle Kyungho to take you out to have some fun today.”

“Really? Can I ride in his wheelchair?” He had seen Kyungho in the wheelchair when the man had visited the last few days, and found it cool that a person could get around without needing to get up.

Wangho smiled. “I’m sure if you ask him nicely he would let you.”

“I will! I will!”

“Good. Now let’s get you ready so that you don’t keep Uncle Kyunho waiting when he comes by later.”

As Taemin was getting dressed, he asked “Are you going to be sad without me daddy?” He had a bit of a guilty expression on his face, but Wangho reassured him.

“I’m going to sleep and rest, and when I wake up Taemin will be back right?”

Taemin laughed and hugged him. “Yes!”

After setting off Kyungho and Taemin, he sat on the chair and looked out the window while thinking about Sanghyeok’s visit that morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jealous Sanghyeok is one of my favorite things to write 😈


	14. Chapter 14

Sanghyeok was distracted. He had been distracted  _ all _ morning. He couldn’t concentrate at all. Just the thought of Taemin spending time with another man, another man who Wangho seemed so fond of, another man that had touched Wangho so intimately (despite it only being hand caressing, it had been further than anything Sanghyeok had done!) made the little green monster inside of him grow.

He let out a sigh. Was all this time he had been trying his best to win Wangho over useless? Wangho still wasn’t fully accepting, and what frustrated him the most was that Wangho was justified in doing so. It frustrated him that Wangho had chosen another man over him for temporary custody.

Sanghyeok didn’t know if he should be angry and Wangho or at himself for his current predicament. He let out another sigh. He had lost count of how many times he had done it already in a few short hours. Even his assistant was becoming worried about this oddity, but just figured that it had something to do with his divorce.

“May I suggest something?” She asked gently.

Sanghyeok nodded, gesturing for her to continue.

“I think you need to take a short vacation. A few days off work would do you good.” She had a sympathetic look on her face that made her seem wise and mature despite not being much older than him. As she had expected, she got a blank stare back.

Sanghyeok silently thought it over, imagining how great of an opportunity it would be if he could spend all day in Busan without needing to worry about getting back to Seoul. A small smile swept across his face, surprising his secretary. “That…sounds like a good suggestion. A great suggestion actually.” He stood up and started putting on his coat and picked up his cell phone. “Please re-arrange my schedule and direct anything urgent for him to the vice president. I’ll be taking that vacation, starting now.”

“Huh?” She said, not quite processing what had just happened. “Wait, but sir!”

He turned around at the door. “I’ll see you after the holiday. Thanks for taking care of me all this time. Merry Christmas!”

As he was on the way to the hospital parking lot, he saw Taemin out of the corner of his eye. He turned his head to look over, and saw Taemin sitting on a man’s lap in a wheelchair, as they rolled down the sidewalk. His son’s cheerful smile as he talked to the other man made his heart burn with jealousy, yet he couldn’t do anything.

If he lost them to this man…if he lost both of them, he didn’t know how he would go on. With a newfound vigor, he drove into the parking garage and took his mind off of Taemin momentarily. It wouldn’t be enough to get Taemin’s affection, he had to get Wangho’s most importantly.

As the doors of the elevator opened, he was surprised to see Wangho waiting for it.

“You’re…back?” Wangho asked, confused and surprised at the other’s presence.

“Are you going for a walk?” Sanghyeok asked casually, carefully watching his expression.

Wangho nodded slowly in response, avoiding eye contact.

“I hope you wouldn’t mind my company.” The hopeful tone in Sanghyeok’s voice had Wangho’s heart in a flurry.

Wangho nodded again and walked out of the elevator. Sanghyeok turned and walked alongside him.

“What happens to your family’s company while you’re here?” He knew Sanghyeok was a dedicated businessman. Taking so much time off traveling back and forth from Busan and Seoul must be having a negative effect on his productivity, so he didn’t quite understand why the other would risk that just to be here with him in a place that smelled so horribly of antiseptic and illness.

Sanghyeok looked at him, seeing the concern on Wangho’s face and shrugged. “Who knows.” That made Wangho stop in his tracks, looking at Sanghyeok puzzled. “I’m on vacation leave now.” He explained. “I decided to take my vacation in Busan. And before you ask why, I want to clarify that I’m not doing this because I was upset about your decision to leave Taemin’s care in an outsider’s hand…” he trailed off after seeing a shocked look on Wangho’s face.

“What I meant is-“ Sanghyeok stopped himself, not sure how to explain it. A blush crept onto his cheeks as he realized his tongue slip.

_ ‘Is that why he was so upset this morning?’ _ Wangho thought, but the words came out a bit differently. “Kyungho-hyung isn’t an outsider.”

Hearing those words made his blush and any nervousness vanish instantly. The unpleasant feeling of intense jealousy took over at Wangho’s defense for the man that he found he was starting to hate. He didn’t want to go there. He really didn’t, so he took a deep breath and turned to continue their walk. He heard Wangho follow behind him, so he slowed down.

When they returned to the room for another round of assessments, he stepped out for a bit to make a call to his parents letting them know he was staying in Busan for a few days.

When he got back to the room, Wangho was lying peacefully on his bed. Sanghyeok slipped in quietly and sat on the couch. The nurse was typing on the computer next to bed.

“Your arm will take weeks to heal, but it will take awhile for you to get used to moving around the house with your dominant arm disabled. Even dressing can be a challenge for the first few days.” The nurse paused, and quickly glanced towards Sanghyeok before turning back to Wangho. “Is there anyone at home to help you with your activities?”

“Just my son.” His auntie and uncle were still out for the week.

The nurse turned to Sanghyeok, “what about your husband?”

Hearing that, Wangho’s ears perked up and he blushed furiously. He quickly glanced up at Sanghyeok’s face and felt a bit relieved to see that he was also blushing. “He-he’s not my husband.” He quietly mumbled, avoiding both of their gazes.

The nurse looked surprised. She swore Sanghyeok was her patient’s husband since there was an uncanny resemblance with the man and his son. “Oh. My apologies.” She turned back to the computer, a bit embarrassed.

“I’ll be fine after being discharged. My son is very helpful even though he’s small.”

The nurse nodded, relenting for now. It was part of her job to plan for his care even after being discharged.

After the nurse left, the atmosphere turned incredibly awkward at her comment. Trying to break the silence, Wangho coughed slightly and said “why did you decide to vacation in Busan?” as he looked towards the window.

Sanghyeok raised an eyebrow, remembering where they left off. He stood up and crossed the room to sit in the chair between the bed and the window. “Someone had suggested to me that I take my distraction elsewhere if I couldn’t focus on working. It just happened so that the first place I thought of for a vacation was Busan.”

Wangho tilted his head, looking at him doubtfully. “Why here? Don’t you always prefer warm weather?”

Sanghyeok was surprised again that he remembered such a small thing. He hummed a bit before saying “Yes, but I wanted to mix it up this time,” he trailed off before saying “I haven’t booked a place to stay yet, but I was hoping to get your permission…” he paused to see if Wangho had an objection, knowing that he was smart. Wangho hadn’t responded yet, so he continued, “to stay over at your house, helping you with…stuff…”

Wangho was quiet. “How long are you planning to stay?”

Sanghyeok knew the implication of the question, Wangho didn’t want him to stay long. “Just until your auntie and uncle come back.”

There was a moment of silence as Wangho fell into deep thought. He was aware that Sanghyeok was hurt at his constant rejection, and him placing distance between them. He felt that his actions were justified, but seeing the effort and knowing how genuinely Sanghyeok was trying, the wall he had built was melting down. He nodded in consent, “that would be very helpful,” giving him a small smile.

* * *

Wangho had dozed off, but woke up as he heard his son’s voice drifting through the door. His eyes quickly drifted over to Sanghyeok before his son burst into the room, holding the door for Kyungho. “Daddy! I’m back!”

Once Kyungho made it into the room, Taemin ran towards the bed, and climbed onto it to hug Wangho. “Uncle Kyungho was lots of fun! We saw a great movie!”

Taemin hadn’t noticed Sanghyeok in the room yet, as his face was burrowed into Wangho’s chest, but Kyungho had caught sight of him sitting quietly in the corner. They blinked at each other. Kyungho couldn’t believe how much this guy looked like Taemin. Contrarily, Sanghyeok was unhappy to be in the same room as him.

“Taemin, look who’s here.” Wangho’s voice got Taemin up from snuggling into him, and Taemin’s eyes widened as mirth filled his face. “Mister! You’re here!” He jumped off of the bed and ran into Sanghyeok’s arms.

Sanghyeok smiled at the boy as he returned the hug. “Did you miss me?”

Taemin looked up at him. “Yes! I loved the strawberry pancakes! It was so yummy! Thank you for bringing us breakfast.”

“I’m glad you liked it.” Sanghyeok looked at the boy fondly.

“Are you going to stay for dinner?”

He was glad to be able to answer yes.

“Taemin.” At Wangho’s calling, he turned his head. “Sanghyeok is going to take you back to our house today so you can shower and change your clothes. Alright?”

Taemin squealed in excitement. “Okay daddy! And I can show him our house too?”

“Yes you can.”

“Yay!” He turned back to Sanghyeok with eyes shining. “I have to show you our pretty tree. You’re going to like it a lot!”

Sanghyeok chuckled and picked the boy up. “I look forward to it. Let’s say bye to your daddy before we leave.” He walked over to the bed with Taemin in his arms and set him onto the bed. Taemin reached out and gave Wangho a hug and kiss.

“Bye daddy! I’ll come see you after I smell good, okay?”

Wangho nodded and gave him a peck on his forehead. “Try not to give Sanghyeok too much trouble.”

After they left the room, Kyungho finally made his way over to the head. “Is he that woman’s husband?” He had made the connection.

Wangho nodded, and with a solemn expression said “they’re divorced now.”

Kyungho frowned. “So what? Is he back to bother you?”

Wangho let out a sigh. “He wants us to get back together.”

“You’re not a rebound.” Kyungho said to him. He was upset about the whole situation because he could see Wangho being soft-hearted towards a man that had caused him so much pain.

Wangho frowned and sent a reproving look. “Of course not. I made that very clear. I’m not going to go back for that reason.”

“So then why are you letting him hang around you? And don’t try to lie, I can see you getting soft for him.”

Wangho had asked himself that question many times. “It’s just…he’s been putting in a lot of effort to make it up to us. Taemin didn’t like him before, but now he’s comfortable around him and likes him a lot. Even if I wanted to get rid of him, they are related by blood, he should have a right to see him.”

“Are you pitying him?”

“No!” Wangho exclaimed. Just thinking about it left a distressed expression on his face. “After all those years, there’s no pity for him.”

Kyungho sighed in frustration. “I just don’t understa-“ he was cut off by the opening of the door, and a man dressed in a black suit entered.

“Excuse me, are you Wangho Han?”

Wangho’s eyes met Kyungho’s before nodding.

The man’s gaze shifted to Kyungho. “Would you happen to be Kyungho Song?”

“That’s correct. Who would you be?”

The man walked further into the room and went to shake their hands. “My name is Junsik Bae. I am a lawyer, and I’m here to collect evidence and your side of the story to this incident.”

“Oh. Okay. Well, I didn’t call a lawyer, and I haven’t thought about suing the driver.” Wangho said.

Junsik gave him a questioning stare.

“I mean. We’re both injured and hoped to get compensation for the hospital bills and the hours lost from work, but I don’t want to push for a lawsuit. It was an accident. I’m sure the driver is apologetic about it.” Wangho explained.

Junsik pressed his lips tight. “I understand that you do not wish to press charges, but it is important that I get a detailed description of your side of the story for record keeping.”

Wangho gave an uncertain look to Kyungho who shrugged. “It doesn’t hurt to tell him.”

Wangho nodded, and then recounted what happened that day. After he finished, Kyungho picked up where he left off. Junsik jotted down notes the entire time.

“Thank you for your cooperation.” Junsik said before bidding them goodbye.

“Well, that was strange.” Wangho trailed off. They sat in silence together for a few minutes before the door opened again, and another man dressed in a suit came in.

“Hello. I am an attorney for the driver who accidentally caused a collision that was responsible for your injuries. Are you two Wangho Han and Kyungho Song?”

Both nodded simultaneously.

“That’s great. My client offered her sincere apology for the accident that took place, and would like to offer compensation suitable for your conditions.” He pauses, taking out 2 pieces of paper from his briefcase, hanging each of them their papers. “We’ve done investigation on your work background very briefly and decided on reimbursing you with the amount of pay you lost for your injuries that resulted from the accident, in addition to the hospital and medication bill. In exchange, I ask that you do not file a lawsuit against my client if you accept the compensation.”

Both were quiet as they read the terms and agreements of their contracts. Wangho was the first to look up. “Before I sign this, would it be possible for me to meet with your client?”

The attorneys' expression was unchanged. “My client asked not to reveal themselves because they sustained facial damage.”

“Oh.” Wangho’s face turned sympathetic. “Please send them my condolences.” He took the pen and signed his name on the line.

“A check will be sent to both of your homes weekly for the next 2 months. Thank you for understanding and your cooperation.” He gave them a quick bow and bid them goodbye.

Kyungho smiled at him. “See? I told you not to worry about working. It’s all being taken care of.”

Wangho smiled back at him and nodded in relief.

* * *

As Sanghyeok was helping Taemin bathe, he felt his phone vibrate from inside his pocket. He took it out and saw his lawyer’s name flashing on the screen. “Come on, let’s get you out and dry up.” He picked up the boy and brought him out of the tub, setting him on the floor.

“Is daddy calling?” Taemin blinked up at him. Sanghyeok shook his head and placed a towel in his hands. “No, but I need to take this call. Can you get dressed by yourself?”

Taemin nodded. Sanghyeok smiled and ruffled his wet hair with the towel before walking off.

“Speaking.”

A few grunts and hums came through his lips as he listened on. His eyes narrowed a bit upon hearing the last bit of information.

“He signed the paper?”

The caller responded, continuing for a while.

“You made sure that he doesn’t know about Shinhye being the driver, correct?”

“Good. File a lawsuit under my name.”

Just as he ended the call, Taemin came out of the bathroom fully dressed. “Taemin, are you hungry?”

The boy immediately latched himself on Sanghyeok’s leg. “Yes! What are we eating?”

Sanghyeok bent down to pick up the boy. “Do you like pasta?”

“Pasta?” Taemin looked up curiously. “What’s that?”

“It’s like noodles.”

“I like noodles!”

Sanghyeok chuckled, putting Taemin down to go and grab his jacket. “Great.”

“After we eat, we visit daddy?” Sanghyeok nodded in response.

On one hand, he held Taemin. In the other, he held a bag for Wangho with a change of clothes, a favor asked for by Wangho. They left the house and headed to a nearby Italian restaurant in his car.

They got back to the hospital at around 7:30 in the evening. Sanghyeok was disappointed to see that Kyungho was still in the room. Taemin ran up to surprise Wangho with a dessert he had ordered from the restaurant, while Sanghyeok went to the other side of the bed, ignoring Kyungho’s presence and choosing to stay as far away as possible.

“I know you said I shouldn’t have a lot of sugar, but there’s cookie and chocolate all together!” Taemin said. He knew that he should be feeling bad for not listening to his daddy about eating too much sugar, but the dessert was irresistible. He had even saved half of it for Wangho! “I saved you half! It’s suuuper yummy!”

Wangho laughed softly and pinched Taemin’s nose. “Well, since you saved some for me, I guess I can forgive you this time,” he teased.

Taemin grinned up at him. “You’re going to like it. I’ll open it for you!” He took the paper box and opened it. Inside was half of a slice of cake, just as he said along with a small plastic fork. He grabbed a piece of the cake with the fork and carefully brought it to Wangho’s mouth. “Open up daddy.”

Wangho let his son feed him. He opened his eyes as wide as he could, exaggerating his reaction for him. It worked, as his reaction made Taemin excited. “See? It’s yummy right daddy?”

Wangho nodded back at him.

“Well,” Kyungho’s voice rang. “I’ll be leaving now.”

Wangho nodded, saying “thank you for staying with me hyung. I really appreciate your time and your help,” before giving him a big and warm smile.

Kyungho smiled and reached out to pat his hand. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Sanghyeok tensing up and directing a glare at him. “It’s no problem Wangho-ya. Sleep well.”

“Thank you uncle Kyungho!” Taemin chimed in, giving him a hug.

After Kyungho left, Sanghyeok finally felt at peace.

“What did you guys have for dinner today?”

Taemin turned to Sanghyeok. “Mister took me to eat shrimp scanpi!”

Sanghyeok stifled a laugh to correct his mispronunciation. “It’s scampi.”

“Oh. Shrimp scampi! The noodles were really small and long. The lady at the restaurant called it angel hair. Isn’t that a funny name for a food?” He laughed. The two adults found themselves laughing along.

The little family, though was once broken, sat together in the night listening to the story being told by their son. As the night went on, Taemin fell asleep in Wangho’s arms.

“If you would like, you can go to my house for the night.” Wangho offered.

Sanghyeok responded by shaking his head. “I would prefer to be here, where you both are.”

Wangho frowned slightly, “it won’t be comfortable sleeping in the chair.”

“Hmm, you might be right, maybe I’ll just sleep into the bed with you?”

Wangho gasped slightly, his mouth slightly open at the response. A faint blush was working its way onto his cheeks.

Sanghyeok laughed at his response and smirked. “Just kidding. I’ll be fine. I’ve fallen asleep on my desk before.”

Feeling embarrassed at taking his words seriously, Wangho didn’t respond to the last statement. As he watched Sanghyeok settling down into the chair, he felt touched at his sacrifice and accommodation for the two of them. Trying to return the effort at least somewhat, he asked “How was Taemin with you?” Suddenly, Sanghyeok’s gaze made him feel hot inside.


	15. Chapter 15

As the sun rose, Wangho was gently roused by a nurse to prepare him for a procedure. The sound of movement woke Sanghyeok as well. He was immediately on his feet and approached the bed where Wangho was getting transferred into the wheelchair.

“What’s going on?” Sanghyeok asked while rubbing away the last bit of sleep from his eyes and saw Wangho smiling up at him.

“I’m going for an MRI scan. Can you watch Taemin for me? He doesn’t like getting up without anyone around.”

Sanghyeok nodded as he bent down to adjust Wangho’s hospital gown to properly cover his shoulder and back. He watched as the nurse wheeled Wangho away before turning to look at Taemin’s sleeping form. He smiled, and adjusted the blanket over him.

* * *

“How does it look?” Wangho had just finished the MRI scan a few minutes ago, and was now waiting to see the results.

“Nothing looks out of place at a quick glance, but your doctor will let you know all the information a little later once he receives the results”

Wangho thanked the man, and he left to return to his room. He entered the elevator, and as it arrived on his, he caught sight of the person he was least expecting to see. Waiting in front of the elevator was none other than Shinhye in a wheelchair, with half of her face wrapped in bandages. Even though most of it was covered, he could recognize her face anywhere. Her eyes leveled against his as the both stared at each other in shock, not expecting to see each other.

“You…” Lines began to form on her face, and her eyes narrowed. Thoughts rampaged through her mind like a storm, reminding her about the situation she was put in by her ex-husband _all_ because of the man in front of her. Despair and hatred were released all at once.

Wangho saw hell in her eyes, and not even a second later Shinhye threw herself at him, hands around his neck and spat out “you son of a bitch! How dare you steal my husband!”

Wangho gasped for air, his hands automatically moved up to grab her wrists in an attempt to loosen them. His chest felt tight, and his vision was blurring. He couldn’t see or hear anything clearly, but he heard people yelling, and saw a few fuzzy shapes try and break her hold.

“A slut like you deserves to die and suffer in hell!”

Sanghyeok ran out of the room. The moment he heard that voice, he felt dread. His eyes widened, fists balled painfully tight. His anger rose, and all control was lost as he saw the scene of Shinhye strangling Wangho. In a blink, he ran over and had Shinhye thrown roughly to the floor with hospital personnel restraining her as she flailed and screamed.

Sanghyeok saw two nurses run over to put an oxygen mask over Wangho’s face and check his vitals. Sanghyeok nervously looked over him.

A few moments later, voices slowly became clear and more focused, and sensation returned to him. He felt his hand being held, and it comforted his hazed mind.

“Wangho?”

He heard his name being called. A blink, one breath in, one breath out. He opened his eyes, and he saw Sanghyeok looking over him holding his right hand. He started remembering what had happened just moments ago.

Sanghyeok fawned over him, wiping his hair away as the nurse deemed that his oxygen saturation and respiration had returned to a normal level and took off the oxygen mask.

“Are you feeling better?” Sanghyeok asked, worry and concern filled his eyes as he gently rubbed Wangho’s jawline and neck with care.

Wangho nodded and gave him a silent smile.

After ensuring that Wangho’s life was no longer in danger, Sanghyeok’s eyes changed as they averted to look at Shinhye on the floor sobbing and throwing daggers at them.

Surprising them, she laughed hysterically at the sight at what was supposed to be hers. Wangho had a confused yet sympathetic gaze on his face. “What witch powers do you have, you slut. I can’t believe you survived both times losing  _ nothing _ .” Her words dripped with venom and hatred.

Putting things together, Wangho realized what she meant. “You…”

“That’s right you pretty little slut.” Her face twisted evilly with mockery. “I ran you over. What a miracle it is that you’re still alive.”

Wangho gasped, eyes fluttering wide. “Why?”

“WHY?! HA! You took what was supposed to be mine away from me! You’re a thief and a slut!”

“Wangho is not a thief! He didn’t steal anything.” Sanghyeok yelled back at her.

“He stole you from me! If he’s not a thief, then what are you doing over there with him, and not with me huh?!”

Sanghyeok growled. “Enough of your lies and fabrication. All your words and actions are not only embarrassing and disappointing, they are unforgivable. I no longer know who you are.”

“You did this to me! I love you so much, how could you treat me like this?!” She cried out. “I gave you everything, but this is how you treat me now? Why are you treating someone like him so well?”

“Shinhye…”

“Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!” She covered her ears and screamed. Hearing Wangho’s voice made her go crazy over the kindness and sympathy within.

Shinhye was taken back to her room, and Wangho was helped back to his. Taemin was still sleeping when they got back to the room. After they got settled down, Wangho stared intently at Sanghyeok and said in a calm voice “you knew yet you didn’t tell me.”

“You already had so much to worry about, I didn’t want you to be concerned with her intent. I was planning to take care of it quietly.” Sanghyeok explained. Despite the accusatory tone in Wangho’s voice, he stood by his decision to spare Wangho from the trouble of Shinhye’s misdeed.

“Then, what were you planning to do?”

“I sent my lawyer to see you yesterday.” Sanghyeok watched recognition fall over Wangho’s face. “Even though she is someone I used to love, I knew I couldn’t let her get away with what she had done to you. It wasn’t an accident that brought you here, and I thought at that moment, what if she had succeeded? That thought made me think that if she could do it once, she could do it again. So I pressed charges, hoping to keep you safe. I didn’t expect that you two would see each other like this…I’m sorry. I really wanted to protect you and this was the only way.”

Wangho stared at Sanghyeok. The guilt and self-blame in his eyes and the honesty in his words caused moisture to start to gather around his eyes, and he felt himself touched by Sanghyeok’s thoughts. He used his good hand to try and cover his face.

Sanghyeok walked over and reached for his hand. “I’ve made many mistakes in my life, but there is nothing that I feel more sorry for than how I treated you. I stayed up some nights regretting my misdeeds, and trying to figure out how I should make amends to you. Yet, I couldn’t come up with anything. You are better than me at everything, and I feel that there is nothing I can do to be worthy of you, but I know that I can’t give up until you can accept me back into your life in some capacity.”

At the squeeze of his hand, Wangho turned his gaze to their hands connecting. “I know it’s going to take time, but I don’t care how long. I’m going to keep trying until you truly accept me.”

Wangho shyly looked up at him, and their eyes connected. A wave of emotion reflected in their eyes, opening the window of uncertainty and wants. “I won’t give up…because I love you.”

A few tears escaped his eyes now as he tore his eyes away. While he was happy that Sanghyeok finally returned his feelings, he hated how it came a few years too late.

At that moment, Taemin woke up. He rubbed his eyes as he sat up, and he blinked as he saw his daddy crying. Again. He didn’t know what was going on, but he knew one thing. His daddy was crying again. He ran over and surprised both of them as he squeezed his arms tightly around Wangho’s torso and buried his face into his chest. “Please don’t cry anymore daddy.” Wangho smiled and wiped the tears away before patting the boy’s back.

The rest of the morning passed uneventfully. A doctor came in and brought good news, letting them know that Wangho could be discharged later that evening. As lunch rolled around, Taemin refused an invitation to eat lunch with Sanghyeok, and chose to eat hospital food with Wangho.

After hearing about the incident early that morning had traumatized him. He no longer wanted to be away from his daddy for any reason, not even for a second. What if Wangho got hurt again when he wasn’t around to protect?

However, the first bite of the hospital tuna made him grimace, and feel regretful about not going out to eat with Sanghyeok.

“What’s wrong?” asked Wangho.

He made an unpleasant face and stuck out his tongue. “It’s bad. Tastes like old gum.”

Wangho chuckled. “You’re exaggerating. It’s just been cooked a bit too long so it’s a little rubbery. Then, how about some of the broccoli?”

Taemin shook his head and clamped his lips tightly when Wangho held the vegetables up to his mouth. He pulled away. “Don’t want it.”

“You’re going to be hungry later if you don’t eat it.”

Taemin sniffed, looking up and gave Wangho his best puppy dog face. “Can you call mister to buy me food?”

Wangho raised an eyebrow upon hearing the request. “Why didn’t you go with Sanghyeok earlier when he asked?”

The corners of Taemin’s mouth dropped into a slight frown. “I want to stay with daddy, but food here tastes yucky.”

The sacrifice Taemin had made just to be with him touched his heart. “Alright, I’m going to give him a call, but you will talk to him, okay?”

A bright smile instantaneously came back.

Wangho couldn’t help but shake his head at his son’s silliness. He reached over to where his jacket was draped on the chair and took out a piece of paper from his pocket. Then he dialed the number using the hospital phone. He put the call on speaker and gestured for Taemin to come closer.

A second later, Sanghyeok answered.

“Mister! It’s Taemin!”

Seeing the joyous look on Taemin’s face while he talked to Sanghyeok put a sad smile on his face. Although the father and son were getting along very well, there was a nagging feeling that was a mixture of insecurity and guilt. Guilt because of all the years he had kept them apart, and knowing that Taemin could have grown up in a better environment. Insecurity because he wondered if Taemin would have been happier growing up this whole time with Sanghyeok.

He was so deep in thought that he didn’t even notice that their phone call had already ended until Taemin tugged on his arm. “Daddy, are you okay?” A look of concern was on his face, which incited Wangho to bend down and kiss his forehead.

“Yes I am. I was just thinking.”

“Oh.” Taemin’s smile returned. “I asked mister to bring me pork cutlet!”

Wangho’s fingers came up to gently pinch the chubby cheeks. He thought it was cute how excited Taemin would get whenever food was concerned.

* * *

Sanghyeok returned to the room with meals for both of them. As he walked in, he heard Taemin and Wangho having an argument about which one of them loved the other more. He felt an overwhelming sense of happiness and satisfaction just watching them spend time together. “I’m back,” he said, as he raised the bags of food. The moment he did that, Taemin threw himself at his leg, looking up excitedly.

“You have pork cutlets?!”

Sanghyeok rubbed the boy’s head with a smile. “I do.” He set the bag down on the table and Taemin climbed up the chair on his own, too hungry to wait.

Wangho watched them quietly as they ate together before drifting into sleep. When he woke later, it was mid-afternoon. A nurse came in to provide discharge instructions and medication.  After the nurse left, Wangho went to the closet to get his bag of clothes to change into. Even though he couldn’t really button up his shirt, it was easier to get in and out of than a pullover.

“Do you need to use the bathroom before we leave Taemin?”

“AH!” Taemin’s eyes widened and ran to the bathroom, leaving the two of them in the room.

Sanghyeok was about to leave the room as well to provide privacy, but he stopped short and offered to help Wangho change since it would be the first time Wangho would be putting on clothes after having his arm in a cast.

Wangho nodded. “Just the shirt would be great.”

Wangho took his clothes out of the bag and set them on the bed.

Without waiting for Wangho to ask, Sanghyeok started unclasping the buttons of the hospital gown. He felt his cheeks flush as the gown fell onto the floor at the release of the last button.

Wangho turned and gave Sanghyeok his button up shirt. “I think it’s better to put on the cast side first.”

Sanghyeok nodded. Holding up the sleeve, Sanghyeok moved it onto Wangho’s casted arm and across the back to the other side. It wasn’t until he got to the front to button up the shirt that he saw a scar running horizontally right above Wangho’s waistband.

His hand unconsciously gently moved over the scar and he felt Wangho tensing up, but didn’t move away, so he took it as permission to run his fingers lightly along it, mapping out the smooth raised edge.

The feeling of Sanghyeok’s fingers on his birth scar caused a strange sensation to run along his spine. It wasn’t comfortable, yet felt nice at the same time. He turned his face up towards the ceiling before letting out a giggle and moving away. “Sorry, it tickled,” he apologized to Sanghyeok.

Sanghyeok flushed upon realizing what he had been doing before buttoning up the shirt. Right as they finished, Taemin came back into the room.

“I’ll go down to the pharmacy to pick up your medication, then I’ll bring the car around to the front.” Wangho nodded.

Shifting his eyes, he turned to Taemin. “Help your daddy put on his jacket for me.”

Taemin nodded, looking very determined.

A little while later, Wangho was wheeled to the pick-up area with Taemin seated on his lap. Soon, they were on their way home.

The house was cold and dark from the lack of habitation for the past few days. Soon after the warmth was brought back into the house, they heard the doorbell ring. They all exchanged glances, unsure of who it could be on the other side. Wangho moved to open the door. He was greeted by an old woman clad in a big jacket. He recognized her to be the neighbor at the end of the street.

“Hi.” She smiled at him before throwing a sympathetic gaze at his broken arm. “I was there when you were almost hit.”

“Ah, I am fine now. Just a broken arm, nothing major.”

She nodded in relief before holding up a bag. “I believe this is yours. I picked it up after you and your son were taken away in the ambulance. I’ve been keeping an eye out for you guys to return it.”

“Oh!” He remembered the bag that held the ornaments he had ordered for their Christmas tree. “Thank you so much. I had completely forgotten about it, but now that it’s back Taemin will be so happy.”

The woman nodded with satisfaction in her eyes. “You’re welcome. I’ll be taking my leave now since you just got back, I’m sure you’re tired. If you need help with anything, feel free to let me know. I just live down the street.”

Wangho thanked her again and sent her off. True to his words, Taemin was ecstatic to see the ornaments that he got excited over during their shopping trip. “I forgot about them!”

He took all of them out of the box, laying them on the coffee table near where the tree stood. The tree was decorated with lights, a few ornaments, and some of Taemin’s handmade crafts.

“Look mister!” He pointed to the figurines as Sanghyeok sat down on the floor next to where he was kneeling. “This one is daddy.” He picked a male figurine clad in a long fur coat and brown boots. The word “daddy” was written at the bottom where the scaffold was. He picked up another one. “This one is me.” This figurine was half the size of the previous one. “This one is Uncle Jongin, and this one is Uncle Beomhyeon. They’re daddy’s older brothers. They’re very nice, but they live very very very far away.” He said the last sentence with a sad smile before a more cheery smile returned. “But it’s okay, because they’re coming for Christmas! And these are daddy’s auntie and uncle! That’s our family! We have 6 people, I’m going to put them up on the tree.”

Wangho watched the bonding that was occurring before him. Under normal circumstances, Taemin would take his hand and drag him over to the table where they would sit and appraise the figurines together. Instead, he had waved Sanghyeok to come over. It made him somewhat sad to see Taemin’s love shared with another, and even a little jealous he admitted to himself.

From the corner of Sanghyeok’s eyes, he saw Wangho leaving the room quietly. He couldn’t follow after him because he had to help Taemin hang the figurines. When Taemin was pointing out the individual figurines, he was secretly hoping that there was one for himself as Taemin had called them his family. Unfortunately, he wasn’t part of it, and it hurt not being able to call Taemin his son.

Wangho had changed into his pajama bottoms and left the dress shirt on. He returned into the kitchen to see if there were any ingredients he could use to make dinner. There were a few things left, but most of them had gone bad. He threw them out, and figured that he would need to go to the market.

“Taemin, what do you want for dinner?” He asked when he came to the living room. Taemin was on Sanghyeok’s shoulder to put the figurines near the top of the tree.

Taemin turned his head and gave him a big smile. “Uncle Kyungho’s food!”

Wangho was taken aback. Didn’t he just have that the other day with Kyungho? He had expected to hear something home-made. Then, he smiled knowing that Taemin was being considerate of his health. “Alright, I’ll order some and we’ll pick it up later.” Wangho left to make the phone call.

Soon, they were in Sanghyeok’s car going to pick up their dinner. Kyungho was once again surprised at just how much Taemin and Sanghyeok resembled each other.

Sanghyeok found his time with them over too soon on the morning of Christmas Eve when Wangho’s auntie and uncle came through the door with a tight smile on their faces at seeing him. Their attention shifted to Wangho’s arm cast, and Sanghyeok found himself ignored as Wangho was bombarded with questions and concern. He felt relieved when Wangho chose to leave Shinhye out of the picture, sparing him a few more angry looks.

Once the elder couple’s worries had died down, Sanghyeok figured it would be an opportune moment to bid goodbye.

“Sanghyeok.”

His hand stopped at the door handle to his car. He felt a sudden hope that Wangho was inviting him to stay, only to have it crushed.

“Merry Christmas,” he said, giving him a big smile.

Sanghyeok tried to smile back, but it came out bitter. “You too.”

The journey home was a sad one, leaving him feeling empty despite the joyous season. Christmas suddenly felt like a sad holiday. Not feeling like going up just yet, he went to the shopping mall.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 2nd to last chapter, thanks for sticking with me 😁


	16. Chapter 16

Taemin was now in the living room watching TV with his uncle Jongin while Wangho helped his auntie make a Christmas Eve dinner. She wanted to ask what happened with Sanghyeok, but it would bring down the mood of the festive season. She’d have to wait until it was over.

As midnight approached, Wangho found himself tired and ready for bed, but Taemin somehow was still filled with energy. The boy had been hanging out with Jongin all night, talking about cartoons and toys.

He didn’t even realize he had fallen asleep until he was woken by Taemin’s loud yell of “Merry Christmas!” As his eyes opened, Taemin ran over to him and climbed into his lap. “Merry Christmas Daddy!”

Wangho laughed and gave him a kiss on his forehead. “Merry Christmas, Taemin.”

Soon, everyone in the house was asleep.

In the morning, Wangho tucked Taemin back under the covers before getting out of the bed to prepare breakfast.

With his broken arm, he couldn’t make anything fancy. So he just made some rice and a basic soup. As soon as he finished cooking, the doorbell rang.

It was Beomhyeon, holding 2 large bags of presents and a dog cage. His eyes widened at the sight of the cast, but Wangho stopped him from asking anymore questions.

“I’ll tell you later, come in first.”

“Why did you get so much?” Wangho mumbled with a hint of surprise, helping bring in some of the bags and closing the door.

“Actually, only the cage is from me. The other two were in front of the house when I got here.”

Confusion flashed on Wangho’s face as he kneeled down to look through the bags. There were 2 big rectangular boxes with his and Taemin’s names on it, but without the sender’s.

“Who is it from?”

“I don’t know.” Wangho replied. He put down the presents and looked into one of the bags to see a small folded note. He opened it.

_ I know you don’t like me buying things for Taemin, but since it’s Christmas, I hope you would let this one go. Merry Christmas to you both. -Sanghyeok _

“Sanghyeok?” Beomhyeon asked after reading the note. He frowned as some bad memories came up. “ _ That _ Sanghyeok?”

Wangho nodded sheepishly and folded the note, dropping it back into the bag and sliding it behind the couch.

As he turned back around, he saw Beomhyeon look at him expectantly, arms crossed.

“What’s up?” Wangho asked innocently, trying to scoot past him. Beomhyeon moved to block him. “You have some explaining to do.”

Wangho sighed. He knew what he wanted to hear, so he told him the entire story, including Shinhye. Beomhyeon didn’t interrupt, and let him finish all in one go.

“You know, Wangho…” he began pensively. His voice was soft, and he spoke gently as he played with Wangho’s hair as he lay on his lap. “You may hate him for what he did, but it wasn’t his fault. Think about it. He and Shinhye were already together before you came into the picture, and he was forced to marry you out of his will. If you were in his position, don’t you think you’d react similarly? The divorce, it was only natural for him since he was in love with her and finally decided that she was the one he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. While I understand your grudge towards him and hate him for the things he did to you, I think it may be time for you to forgive him and give Taemin a family he should have. And I’m not saying only Taemin deserves happiness, you do too. Anyone with eyes can see how much you still love him.”

Wangho blushed as the advice played in his head multiple times that day until he found himself agreeing. Calming his pounding heart, he picked up his phone and dialed Sanghyeok’s number.

Despite being surrounded by his family and distant relatives, he felt like he was alone. All of his cousins were with their spouses and children, while he sat alone. After they ate lunch together, his thoughts constantly were drifting back to Wangho and Taemin. He wondered what the two were doing right now, and if they had opened his presents yet.

His train of thought was cut off by the vibration of his phone from his pocket. He stood up and walked outside. His heart went into a mad race seeing Wangho’s name flashing on the home screen. It took him awhile to realize that he was not imagining it, and he wasn’t dreaming.

“Wangho...”

He was so nervous that he forgot to greet him as he picked up. The other line was silent for a second before he heard the voice he had been hoping to hear all day. “ **Hello** .”

An awkward silence followed, and Sanghyeok didn’t know what to say to fill it in.

“How are yo-“ “ **Would you lik-** “ they started at the same time before the silence returned.

Sanghyeok cleared his throat and flexed his free wrist. “You first.”

“ **Ummm…would you…like to come over for dinner? If your family is okay with it.** ”

Sanghyeok thought he had died and gone to heaven. He quickly asked and made sure that he had heard right before accepting the invitation right away. After hanging up, he ran out to get ready to go. He excused himself before running out of the house and sped down the road.

His family desperately hoped he drove safely.

As he got to Wangho’s home, the sound he was hearing from beyond the door made him feel whole and his heart full again. He waited, hearing the sound of a dog barking, and Taemin’s voice. He took a deep breath before pressing the doorbell. It was Wangho who opened the door and greeted him with an expression that showed genuine acceptance, stunning him and leaving him dumbfounded.

“Are you…going to keep standing there or would you prefer to come in?” He blushed at the question, apologized, and stepped through.

Everyone looked at him with indifference except for Beomhyeon, who stood up and shook his hand amiably. The whole family had heard the story and explanation from Wangho, but found it hard to forgive him for all the tears and suffering he had put Wangho through.

“Mister!” Taemin jumped up and ran over to Sanghyeok.

He bent down to caress the boy’s face and hair. “Hello Taemin.”

“I didn’t know you were coming. I thought you’d be spending Christmas with your family.”

Jongin scoffed noticeably, earning him a glare from both Wangho and Beomhyeon.  _ How ironic! _

Their auntie and uncle could only sigh.

Sanghyeok had to hold his tongue from telling him that he was his family. He smiled instead. “I spent the whole day with them already, but I missed you and your daddy, so I thought I should come to see you both.”

Taemin squealed with joy and jumped up and down. “Really?!” At Sanghyeok’s nod, he held his hand and pulled him to where Jongin was sitting. “Uncle Jonging, this is the mister I was telling you about. He gave me lots of good food!”

Jongin wasn’t at all excited, but was forced to play along when he felt intense glares at his head from two directions. “Is that so?”

“Yep yep! I like him a lot!” Taemin gave him a cheely smile before leading him to the pile of presents he got. “This is the new car that grandpa bought for me. It’s really cool!” He pulled the toy car back and watched it zoom across the room. “See? It ran by itself!”

“They look good together.” Beomhyeon commented. The rest of them sat on the couch watching them.

Jongin clicked his tongue and didn’t say anything.

“It’s strange,” A smile appeared on Beomhyeon’s face for the first time since Sanghyeok’s arrival. “How Taemin grew up without him, but is connecting with him so well.” He chuckled. “They’re naturally father and son, they even look alike.”

“I smell smoke.” Jongin said lazily.

Wangho and his auntie gasped and ran to the kitchen. “Liar, there’s nothing burning.” Wangho pouted and pointed a look at Jongin who held his gaze evenly.

“Well, all that talk was giving him a headache.”

Wangho glared at him before sighing. “Please be nice,” was all he said before walking over to Sanghyeok and Taemin and joining them on the floor.

“It fits me!” Taemin exclaimed, pointing to the new shoes that were on his feet. “How did you know?” It was the Christmas present Sanghyeok had bought for the boy.

Sanghyeok and Wangho exchanged glances as he sat down.

“He was saying earlier how you must be friends with Santa because you knew his shoe size.”

Sanghyeok laughed.

“Are you mister? Santa always gives me stuff that fits me, like you did.”

“I can’t tell you. It’s a secret.”

Taemin pouted at this answer. “Come on, you can tell me!”

“Alright, it’s almost dinner time. Go wash your hands.” Wangho interrupted, trying to change the subject.

They watched Taemin run to Jongin to pull him up from the couch so they could go wash their hands together. As everyone left the living room, the two of them stood up to follow, but Wangho was stopped by Sanghyeok, who grabbed his hand.

“Thank you for inviting me to have dinner with your family.”

Wangho turned to face him. The loving gaze from Sanghyeok made him blush so he looked at the ground. “They…are your family too.”

Sanghyeok’s eyes shot wide open, his lips parted. He was stunned at the subtle confession. He had to bring himself back down from heaven and lifted Wangho’s chin so that their eyes met. “Do you mean it?” he asked carefully, crossing his fingers and praying that it wasn’t a joke.

He got a beautiful heart shaped smile as a response. “Will you take care of us then?”

Sanghyeok gave him the widest smile he could produce and brought Wangho into his arms. “Tell me anything you need, and I will do it for you.”

Slowly, Wangho brought his arm up and wrapped gently around his back.

“This is the most incredible present anyone could have given me.” Sanghyeok whispered into his hair, his nose nuzzled the other affectionately.

For the first time in his life, Wangho felt truly loved and at peace. He would have to properly thank Beomhyeon later for his advice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaand that's the whole story! Hope you guys enjoyed it 😄


End file.
